Hush, Now
by Karnia
Summary: Some secrets are better left unsaid, some facades are better left undiscovered, and some relationships are better left un-severed. Sasuke X OC Modern fiction. AU.
1. Chapter One

_**Hush, Now:**_  
Author's Note (very important): So, before you begin this story it's important to know that I am only creating a modern Naruto story because I was challenged to by another fan fiction writer who did not like my critique on their story. They said I could not do better, so I am setting out to do better. I won't mention names because I don't want people to question this other writer. Their terms were that it had to involve 'Konoha High School' in it. So, to prove I could do better I decided to take my story Hebi no Ko and rewrite it as a AU modern Naruto world, following the same kind of plot; deceit, betrayal, death, love, and secrets...my favourite subjects. I wanted to challenge myself and I believe I can pull this off. I am using my same character, Hikari Koizumi, but I am rewriting her story like a writer would rewrite Naruto AU. I hope you enjoy it. I am trying to capture a more realistic approach to high school, but I wanted to make it interesting by adding a twist. enjoy!

**Chapter One:**

"I don't see why you can't just take the money from the losers here," she said as she leant back in the chair she had been sat in; her father's desk was in front of her. Her father sat behind it with his hands folded and his elbows resting on the surface.

"The 'losers' here don't have much more I can take from them, Hikari," her father said with an annoyed hiss in his tone.

Hikari smiled and brushed her inky black hair behind her ear, revealing her striking aubergine eyes.

"What do I get out of it, father?"

"You seem to like your life of luxury; do you want to keep it? Or would you prefer that I make you obey me through other means _again_?"

Hikari swallowed the fear that rose in her throat.

"When do I leave?"

"My escort will drive you to Konoha tonight. Your registration at the school has already been confirmed. You have classes at nine o'clock sharp tomorrow morning," her father looked her up and down, "I suggest you start packing."

"Alright," she said as she stood and her booted heels clicked on the floor as she began to walk towards the exit.

"Remember your task," her father called. "If you're serious about taking over the business, you had better not fail me."

Hikari smiled at the door.

"Trust me when I say that failure is not in my nature."

…

A broad-chested man took Hikari's delicate pale-skinned hand and helped her into the back of the spacious car. After she was settled, he shut the door and then walked to the driver's side.

"Would you like me to play your iPod?" he asked after he had sat down and closed the car door.

Hikari nodded and handed him the device.

"Thank you, Arata," she said quietly.

After another moment, her music was playing through the speakers and he began to drive.

"Do you know anything about my living arrangements?" Hikari asked.

"Well, unfortunately residence on school grounds is filled, so I had to contact the mayor; Konoha is pretty prestigious and doesn't let just anyone live anywhere. Because you're going to the school, the mayor wants to meet you when you get there and then assign you a place to live," he explained as he looked at her through the mirror.

"Are you staying with me?" Hikari asked firmly.

"Sorry, for security purposes, your father wants to do this alone," Arata said with sympathy laced in his tone. "He's set up a bank account for you that has no association to him or the business and has put quite a hefty sum of money in it for your disposal…I think he said it would be your living expenses."

"Okay, so are you going to leave outside the village and leave me with the car?" Hikari asked with a raised brow.

"No, we're meeting the car you're going to take…it's a little more appropriate for a teenager and isn't associated with your father or the business in anyway. You're starting off fresh here; completely new, innocent even."

"I brought a gun," Hikari informed him, "just a nine millimetre…something small to protect myself with in case I need it."

"You had better of hidden it well," Arata said with a frown and the utmost seriousness in his tone, "if they find that, you're done."

"I've hidden it pretty well," Hikari said as she glanced down at her handbag. "I've sown it under a fake bottom of my bag."

"Don't bring it to school; they have metal detectors," Arata said with a nod.

"I don't intend to," Hikari said as she shifted, cracked her neck, and then crossed her arms. "Not to mention its pieces aren't made out of metal, they're made out of plastics; they can do that nowadays. I am thinking I want my façade to be some along the lines of either 'shy' or 'bold and friendly' new girl. Which one do you think I should do?"

"Bold and friendly, it's more your style and easier to pull off," Arata said as he pulled out onto the highway. "Now that we're on the highway, we will arrive in a half hour. If you need to prepare anything, do it now."

"I don't need to prepare anything…I did that before we left," Hikari said as her eyes shifted to the window.

"Good."

…

"This car is the same as the one you drove me in, but it's purple," Hikari said as she raised her brow.

"I just didn't want you taking my car," Arata said as he cleared his throat and adjusted his tie.

Hikari rolled her eyes.

"New I.D.?" she asked as she held out her hand.

Arata placed several cards into her hands.

"All of these say you were born in the Land of Fire in a village just south from here…a twenty minute drive or so," he informed her as he crossed his arms. "You're an orphan…you're mother died when you were ten and your father just passed away in an accidental explosion caused by work related hazards."

"Where did my 'father' work?" Hikari asked as she pocketed the I.D's; they had given her a new birth certificate, driver's licence, social insurance number, and a new health card.

"He was a scientist who had yet to introduce his new technology to the world…he was trying to find a renewable energy source and came close, but when he was testing it against normal oils and gases, one of the men working under him accidentally dropped an explosive substance in the next room and it reacted with something on the floor; the explosion caused the gases your father was working with to explode as well and he died," Arata said seriously.

Hikari committed the story to memory.

"Isn't that a little extreme?" Hikari asked with a raised brow. "What happens when they look into the news?"

"It won't be a problem, we staged the scenario a month ago," Arata said as he squared his shoulders. "We lost some valuable men, but it needed to happen."

"How am I rich?"

"Your father married a rich woman so that he had someone to finance his projects," Arata said with a frown, knowing that this part of the story was true for Hikari's real mother. "He also just had recently sold his formula to a company for millions of dollars; in reality, we did sell a formula to them for several million dollars, but we quickly went through that with our investments and calling in favours to get your I.D's."

"So, I am an heiress?" Hikari asked as she walked towards her car.

"Yes," Arata said as he followed her.

He helped her into the driver's seat and then shut the car door when she was settled.

"Just trying to make a life somewhere new?"

"Yes…"

"Got it," Hikari said as she started the car. "I don't know how long this will take…"

"Your father hopes it will be less than two years."

"I hope so too."

With her final words, she touched the gas pedal with her foot and then drove off towards Konoha, arranging her expression to fit someone who was depressed and needed a new scenery; the one thing Hikari had always had a talent for was acting.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two:**

"Ah, yes, it says here that your uncle called three nights ago to enroll you into the school," the mayor said to Hikari after looking at the screen of his computer. "I'm sorry to drag you here during your evening, you must be tired."

Hikari sat in a chair in front of his desk, with her hands folded and set onto her lap; she made sure that she was sitting straight and tall, as if what he was saying was important to her and she cared about his impression of her.

"Why not stay with family after the accident?" he asked politely.

Hikari sighed and then look directly into the old man's eyes.

"Well, it was painful to wake up every morning and be inside an empty house, to pass my parent's bedroom, and to even visit the couple of scenic locations the village had to offer because they all brought the fact that I'd never see my mother or father again to the forefront of my mind…" Hikari paused and wiped at the tear forming in her eye. "I just wanted a fresh start. As for my uncle, we have never exactly seen eye-to-eye."

"That is understandable…" he said as he looked back at his computer screen. "Unfortunately, your request for an apartment alone cannot be complied with."

"Is it because of my age?" Hikari asked with a raised brow.

"Well, it has more to do with the fact that you're facing a difficult time in your life and the grief is still raw…you're so young, we just feel that it is not a good idea to let you live on your own because all that has happened to you in the last month," the elderly man said as he shook his balding head. "We have selected a home that we feel will be good for your health."

Hikari swallowed.

_"Should I argue? No…it's a bad idea. I will go along with what he wants and live with this schmuck. After a while, I will have proven that I am not a danger to myself and can live on my own. This might set me back in my plans, but it can't be helped…"_

Hikari nodded and flashed the mayor a pleasant smile.

"I understand, Mr. Sarutobi."

"It's nothing personal, it is village's policy," he said with a sympathetic smile. "We have selected the home of one of the teachers at the High School in order to help your transition into the school; we run an elite academy here aimed at trying to shape the perfect students…you may be a little behind."

"Isn't that against some kind of code of ethics?" Hikari asked with a raised brow.

"Usually, we would not do this, but we feel it is a good idea because of your situation; don't worry, Mr. Hatake is a very respectable man," the mayor said with a nod of his head.

"Well, if it won't be a problem, I'd be happy to stay with Mr. Hatake," Hikari said as she flashed him another smile.

"Alright, I think that's all we need to discuss today," the mayor said as he looked at his computer and then used his mouse to click on something. "I will just print the address of your residency and proof of your enrollment at the school."

"Thank you, Mr. Sarutobi," Hikari said as she stood and shook his hand.

"You're very welcome," he said as he handed her two sheets of freshly printed paper.

"Have a nice night," Hikari wished him as she left the room.

…

Hikari pulled into the driveway of an average suburban house that matched the address printed onto the sheet lying on the abandoned passenger's seat. She sighed and then drummed her fingers on the steering wheel with hesitation welling in her gut.

_"I have to go in there and get this over with…it will be no less awkward if I wait here first,"_Hikari thought as she gathered her purse and the car keys before stepping out onto the pitch-black pavement of the driveway.

She used her keys to pop the trunk of her car open and then began to unload her suitcases.

Distantly, she heard the sound of a door closing and then looked up to see a man with very striking silver hair that stuck straight up to the right approach her.

"Hikari Koizumi?" he asked as he put his hand on the back of his neck.

"Yeah, that's me," Hikari told him as she flashed him a friendly smile.

She stuck out her hand and he shook it.

"Nice to meet you," he said as he eyed her belongings. "Here, let me help with those."

"Certainly," Hikari said as she handed him a suit case and her book-bag.

She shut the trunk and grabbed the rest of her belongings before following him up the drive and to the front of the house.

Once she was inside, she continued to follow him through his living area and into a hallway that had four doors connected to it.

"The one on the end to the right is yours," he said as he looked over his shoulder at her. "The name is Kakashi, by the way."

"Can I call you that at school?" Hikari asked with a raised brow.

"I'm pretty laid back, I don't care about the last-name formality so long as you do your work…that is what's important and it's what they pay me for," he said as he opened her door and led her into the room.

Kakashi set her bags down at the far end of the room near the window.

"It's pretty spacious and has the essential furniture," Kakashi said as he looked around. "I hope you like blue, I got the bed-spread in the only store that was still open by the time they told me you were coming to live here."

"Yeah, blue's fine," Hikari said as she looked at the walls of the room and saw that they too were blue. The bed frame and other wooden furniture was white in colour.

"Tomorrow after school we can go out and get you anything you may need," Kakashi said as he turned towards her.

"Well, I think I will purchase a laptop…at home I had a desktop and didn't want to bring it all the way here. I might get a phone too," Hikari said as her mind drifted to the phone she already had; the one that definitely had a lot of criminal's numbers in it. _"I will have to dispose of that…" _

"Well, I will show you the places to get what you want."

"So, how much do you want for rent a month?" Hikari asked as she turned to him.

"If you pitch in by cleaning up and buying groceries every now and then, I will let you have the room for three hundred a month."

"Seems fair enough," Hikari said with a sweet smile. "Do I have access to the family room?"

"Yeah, you can go anywhere in the house," Kakashi said with a shrug. "I already ate dinner, but if you need some food, help yourself."

"Alright, tomorrow I will take out the three hundred from my bank account to give to you the rent money," Hikari said with a nod. "I'm going to unpack a little. Have a good night, Kakashi."

"Yeah, you too Hikari," he said with a smile gracing his lips for the first time since he had met her. "Try to go to bed at a reasonable time, school starts at eight and goes until three."

Hikari closed the door behind him and then began to unpack her clothes and put them in the draws of her dresser and hung the more expensive articles in the closet. She placed the four pairs of shoes she brought in her closet; a pair of sandals, sneakers, boots, and pumps.

After she finished with her clothes, she took her brush and other essential hygiene products from her bag and set them on the dresser. She quickly changed and brushed through her long straight hair before walking over to her bed and crawling inside the surprisingly soft sheets. She reached for the light and then pulled the switch, making the room go dark as she shut her eyes.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three:**

"Hikari, it's seven-thirty," Kakashi called through her doorway.

"Alright!" she called as she looked up at the ceiling from her bed. After another moment she threw off the blankets and then got to her feet.

_"I want to appear self-confident,"_ she thought as she walked to her closet. _"Someone who is not afraid to draw attention to herself because she is friendly and wants to meet new people…"_

She pulled out a pair of dark blue tight-fitting jeans from and a red-blouse from her closet.

_"I need to make a big impact whether it's negative or positive…I need to get the attention of the more wealthy students," _Hikari thought as she brought her clothes to the bathroom that was adjoined to her room and took a shower. _"I can't do that if I am boring or shy; I need to look the part."_

After showering, she brushed her teeth, blow-dried her hair and then got dressed. She walked into her bedroom and then to her dresser so that she could brush through her hair; she let her locks of long hair hang free around her head, not wanting to fuss with putting it up. She took out her makeup and just put on a light layer of eyeliner to highlight her eyes and a small amount of toner to her cheeks in order to add some colour to her porcelain skin. She put on deodorant and then lightly sprayed perfume on her wrist, which she rubbed into her other wrist and neck. She did a double take in the mirror and knew she looked presentable.

Hikari walked to her closet and then slipped on her black pumps, thinking that they'd be the best shoes for her outfit; it was sunny out too, so she didn't have to worry about trying to walk in heels during the rain.

She turned to her desk and picked up her school bag before flicking off the light and exiting the room.

"Good morning," Hikari said as she walked into the kitchen and set her bag down onto the floor.

"Morning," Kakashi said as he looked up at her from the novel he had his nose stuck in; Hikari was intrigued when she saw it because she had heard of that book, one of her father's cronies loved them.

"Smut for breakfast, Kakashi?" Hikari asked with a raised brow as she walked into the kitchen and put bread in the toaster.

"I would not start criticising my literary tastes, Hikari," Kakashi said as he glanced at her again, "you have yet to find out what I teach."

"I'm guessing by that answer it has something to do with books?" she asked as she leaned back onto the counter.

"I teach the main stream English courses and then another class on literature," Kakashi said as if he was talking about the weather.

"So, you get your students to read your porn?" Hikari asked with a raised brow.

She walked to the fridge and retrieved the butter and found some jam. Hikari checked the dates on both, knowing how people are when they live alone. Her toast popped and she walked to the counter, setting the condiments down and taking a plate from the cupboard.

"I do no such thing," Kakashi said with amusement in his tone as he watched Hikari make her toast. "Do you want a ride there today?"

"No, I think I will drive myself," Hikari said before she took a bite of her toast.

"Suit yourself," Kakashi said with a shrug as he shut his book and then stood. "Alright then, I'm off."

"I'll see you later for shopping then," Hikari said with a gentle smile.

Kakashi nodded and then walked out of the door, closing it behind him.

Hikari walked to the table and sat down. Now that she was alone she let her frown and her façade fall. Her toast sat untouched on her plate as she sat in silence. She wasn't really sure how long it would take her to do what her father wanted, and it troubled her that the people she was going to trick out of their money seemed like nice people.

The only thing to wake her from her moody trance was the clock, signifying that it was eight o'clock sounded. Hikari looked up at it, and then quickly ate the rest of her toast before getting up and putting the plate in the sink.

She grabbed her bag and then headed out the door, locking it as she went.

_"I guess it's time for school…"_

…

The Academy of Konoha was bigger than she expected, having at least a thousand students; she expected something a little smaller in scale, but she figured it made sense because it was the most prestigious high school in all of the Land of Fire. There was residence on school grounds, so she knew people must have shipped their kids there from all over the place.

She turned off her car and then grabbed her book-bag from the empty seat beside her. She paused before getting out of the car, eyeing the building hesitantly; she had never been in a real school before, she had been homeschooled her entire life. What if her education was lacking?

_"Nonsense, my father has so much money, he probably got me the best tutor around," _she thought.

_"The best tutor who would be trusted to work with an international criminal's daughter and keep her identity a secret,"_a little voice inside her head reminded her.

Hikari sighed and then opened the door to the car, stepping out onto the pavement. She straightened out and then shut the car door and locked it with her keys before walking into the building.

…

As she walked down the long hallways, she was slightly aware of the fact that her heels clicked loudly when she walked because of the tile floor.

_"I need to figure out where the guidance office is,"_she thought with a frown as she turned her head and carefully read the labels on the doors she passed; she had yet to see a sign that would direct her towards the main offices.

"Ha! Come and get me, Sasuke! You will never see your guitar again! Hahaha!"

Someone slammed into her back and sent her tumbling forwards, however, before she could fall and hurt herself someone grabbed onto her arm and steadied her.

"Che, you're an idiot, dobe," someone said behind her.

"Oh, I am so sorry! Are you okay?"

Before she registered what had happened, the person let go of her arm and she was standing on her own again. She blinked and then turned towards the source of the voices.

"Uh yeah, I am fine," Hikari said as she looked at the two boys in front of her.

The one with the black hair stepped forwards and yanked his guitar case out of the blonde's hand.

"HEY!"

Hikari raised her brow at their behavior.

"Are you two balanced?" she asked as she looked between them.

"He isn't," the raven said as he pointed to the blond.

"HEY!"

"Well, could you kindly show me to the guidance office so I can pick up my schedule as payment for almost breaking my leg or something?" Hikari asked with a friendly smile.

"You're new here?" the raven-haired asked.

"NEW GIRL!"

"I'm really starting to dislike you," Hikari said as she glanced at the blond. "Clam down; I'm not fifty feet away from you. As for if I am new, that'd be correct; I just moved to Konoha yesterday."

"Come on!" the blond said as he grabbed her arm. "I'll show you!"

"Thanks," Hikari said with a smile. "I don't want to get lost or be late for my first day, you know?"

"Yep! Come on, teme!"

"Not on your life," the black haired teen said before he turned around and began to walk down the hall. "I have better things to do then babysit the new girl."

"What's his problem?" Hikari asked with a raised brow.

"It's nothing personal, he's like that to everyone," he explained as he put the hand he had been dragging her with behind his head.

"And you're his friend?" Hikari asked as she looked over her shoulder at the retreating teen's back.

"We're best friends!" the blond explained. "I'm Naruto by the way! Naruto Uzumaki!"

"I'm Hikari Koizumi, it's nice to meet you," Hikari said with a smile as she followed behind him.

"Alright, Kari-chan, this is the office," Naruto said as he opened the door and led her inside. "Hi Ms. Shizune!"

"What did you do this time, Naruto?" she asked with a raised brow as she looked up at the two of them from her computer.

"Hey! I didn't do anything wrong! I was showing the new girl to the guidance office so she could get her schedule!" Naruto exclaimed as he crossed his arms.

"Hello, dear," she said as she ignored Naruto and turned to Hikari, "your name, please?"

"Hikari Koizumi," she replied.

"Alright, I will print your schedule and then give you a school map. Naruto, you two are in the same grade, show her around will you?"

"Got it!" Naruto said with a nod of his head.

Once the sheet printed, Shizune handed it to Hikari and a school map.

"Thank you very much," Hikari said with a pleasant smile.

"It was no problem, dear."

**Chapter End Notes:** Feedback?


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four:**

"What's your first class, Kari?" Naruto asked as he walked with his hands behind his head with her trailing beside him.

"Music," Hikari said as she looked down at the paper.

"I'm not in that class, next?" he asked.

"English," Hikari said as she looked at him.

"I'm in that class! Next?"

"After lunch I have History…"

"Not me, I have biology then," Naruto said with a shrug. "Next?"

"Visual Arts," Hikari said as she read the sheet, "with the same teacher as music."

"So we only have one class together this semester," he said with a frown, "but I think you and Teme have a lot of classes together."

"Teme?" Hikari asked with a raised brow.

"That's what I call Sasuke," Naruto explained, "the kid I took the guitar from this morning."

"Well," Hikari said as she looked down the hallway her school map said she needed to turn down. "It's says I need to go this way for class."

"We're eating together for lunch!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Uh…sure," Hikari said with a raised brow. However, before she could comment further, Naruto had already run down the halls somewhere else. Well, bye then..."

…

When Hikari entered the music room, it was completely empty. She was prepared to go and sit down in a seat, but then it occurred to her that she didn't know what the seating plan was. Hikari bit her lip and looked around the room, prepared to leave and wait outside until her eyes fell upon an instrument set up at the far side of the room.

"No way," she breathed as she walked towards the string instrument with a smile. "They have a cello…will they let me play it? I've been playing for years, so I have the experience…"

Hikari sat on the chair behind it and brought the instrument between her knees and began to lightly play. She smiled because the instrument was in tune and because the familiar sensation of playing the instrument began to seep in; she had forgotten how much she loved it.

"I need to buy one to practice with at home, I left mine behind…" she uttered as she moved her fingers to a different position on the strings closed her eyes and began to play Faure's Elegy.

She wasn't sure how long she had been playing, but she knew it had been over six minutes by the time she finished.

Clapping sounded in front of her and she opened her eyes, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Ms. uh…Yuhi, I just saw it set up over here and couldn't help myself," Hikari said with a weak smile.

"That was beautiful," the woman replied as she walked towards Hikari, brushing her chocolate hair behind her ears. It was Ms. Yuhi's deep red eyes that particularly struck Hikari. "How long have you been playing?"

"About six years or so," Hikari responded, relieved that the instructor was not upset with her.

"We don't have a cello player in the class right now, I'd love to have you play," Ms. Yuhi said as she looked at the instrument.

"Well, I'm not turning that opportunity down," Hikari said with a nod. "I'd love to play in class."

"Because you'll need some room to play effectively, I will sit you on the side next to the guitar," Ms. Yuhi said as she pointed to the chairs that were separated from the group by only a couple of feet. "The boy who sits next to you is a little bit of a grump, so don't take anything personally."

"I think I might have already been warned about him today," Hikari said with a small chuckle. "Thanks for letting me play, Ms. Yuhi."

The teacher smiled once more before walking to the front of the room.

Hikari stood, picked up her bag and swung it over her shoulder before moving the cello equipment to the seat the teacher had told her to sit. As soon as she settled in the chair, the bell rang and the class began to pour into the room.

The boy she met earlier sat himself beside her and briefly looked at her and the instrument she was holding before taking out his guitar and making sure it was tuned properly.

Two girls approached Sasuke and looked at him with nothing less than hearts in their eyes.

"Oh, Sasuke, you're so amazing," the girl with pink hair and green eyes said as she brought her folded hands to her cheek.

Hikari noticed Sasuke sigh as he looked down at the guitar in his hands.

"Yeah, will you play us something, Sasuke?" A girl with blonde hair and blue eyes said as she hip-checked the pink haired girl out of her way.

"Watch it Ino-PIG!" the pink haired girl yelled as she turned to the blonde.

"Shove it, billboard-brow!" Ino shrieked back.

Hikari raised her brow and then looked at Sasuke; she could not see what they were fawning over. Sure, he was cute, but he needed to brush his hair. Hikari let a light chuckle escape from her lips before she shook her head and began to adjust her instrument so she could play.

"And who do you think you are?" the loud blonde girl yelled as she turned to Hikari. "Why are you sitting next to _my_Sasuke? That's my seat!"

"No, it's _my_seat, and Sasuke is mine," Sakura said as she turned and yelled at Hikari too.

"Let me ask you girl's a question," Hikari said lightly as she looked up at them. "What instruments do you play?"

"Flute," the both replied at the same time.

"Well, because you only need limited arm space to play a flute, you don't need this seat; I'm here because I play the cello…" Hikari paused and lifted the bow. "Do you see this? When I play my instrument, I move it back and forth, _like this_." Hikari showed them by playing a few notes. "See why I need this chair? It's so I won't hit anyone with my elbow when playing."

"I don't care what you need, you're in _my_seat," the girl named Ino insisted.

"Go away," Sasuke interjected firmly, "you're annoying."

"Yeah, you hear that, new girl?" Ino asked with a laugh. "Go away!"

"I was talking to you two," Sasuke said as he narrowed his eyes. "You're disturbing the class and we're all ready to start but you two."

Hikari began to laugh and shook her head again.

"Sakura, Ino, get to your seats, now," Ms. Yuhi said firmly. "I swear I have to make you to go to your seats every morning!"

Ino and Sakura turned away, whispering to each other as they walked down the steps and around to their seats at the front.

"Now I understand why you're so moody," Hikari said quietly.

A smirk graced Sasuke's lips.

"Che."

…

The rest of music class passed without interruption and Hikari thoroughly enjoyed it. She loved the feeling of the strings under her fingers and the bow of a cello in her hand. She sighed as she cleaned up where she sat and carefully placed the cello in its stand. The class had already packed up and left, but she realised that Sasuke was still there with her in the class room, just finishing putting his guitar away; they were alone.

"Hey," Hikari spoke up as she spread a smile across her face, "I just wanted to thank you."

Sasuke looked up at her with a calculating expression.

"For what?" he asked coolly.

"Well, you got rid of those girls earlier," Hikari said awkwardly as she adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder.

Sasuke stood up and picked up his guitar.

"I never said that you're not annoying too," he hissed as he passed her and walked out of the room, letting the door slam behind him.

Her eyes widened with bewilderment; she was completely dumbfounded. Had she said something wrong to him?

Eventually, she turned her head to the closed door.

"What the _fuck_is his problem?"

…

"So, does Sasuke have his own fan club or something?" Hikari asked as she looked at Naruto slurping down ramen from the bowl he bought. They were sitting at one of the end tables in the cafeteria. "He's got a lot of nerve."

To be truthful, she still felt really uneasy about her encounter with Sasuke earlier, and couldn't figure out what she had done to offend him.

"Yeah, he has a lot of hopeless chicks follow him around," Naruto said as he downed the noodles. "I think he likes to toy with them."

"Well, he sounds like a jerk," Hikari said with a bitter frown.

"You said it!" Naruto yelled as he ate. "I love ramen day!"

Hikari sighed and shook her head as she began to eat her ramen as well; Naruto had convinced her to get it, but she wished she had gotten the stir-fry.

"Who's this?"

Hikari turned her head and saw a boy slide into the seat next to her. He had tanned skin and upside down red triangular markings on his face; she contemplated if they were tattoos or makeup.

"This is Kari-chan," Naruto said in between bites. "She just moved here. You won't like her; she's real artsy, not your style Kiba."

"Uh, thanks?" Hikari asked with a raised brow. "I'm not sure if that was a compliment or an insult."

"I might make an exception for her, she's cute," Kiba said as he eyed her.

"I'm not feeling uncomfortable or anything right now," Hikari said with a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"Just ignore Kiba, he does that to all the girls," Naruto said as he finished the rest of his noodles. He then picked up the second bowl he bought and began to slurp up those noodles.

"Slow down, Naruto, you're going to choke one of these days and I'm not going to help you when it happens," a voice cut in as another person approached the table they sat at. "It'd be a drag."

The teen who had spoken sat down next to Hikari.

"Hi," she said as she looked at his spikey brown ponytail with a certain amount of fascination in her eyes; how he made it stand up like that with, as far as she could tell, no product, she'd never know. "I'm Hikari Koizumi."

"Shikamaru Nara," he replied as he began to eat the food on his tray.

Soon enough, many people sat themselves at the table, and Hikari could not keep up with all of their names.

Sasuke was the last to stroll into the cafeteria, and he walked over to them to take the only seat left, the other side of Hikari, across from Naruto.

Hikari gave him a glare out of her peripheral vision and he smirked as he began to stab his food with his fork; if she had the nerve, she would have wiped that smirk off his face with her fist. He knew he had insulted her, and now he was reveling in her annoyance with him.

"So, does anyone have history class next?" Hikari asked as she ate more of her food and dismissed Sasuke presence from her mind, ignoring him utterly.

"I do," Shikamaru said after he finished swallowing his food.

"Could you show me the way to the class room afterwards?" Hikari asked with a small smile.

"Yeah, even though it's troublesome," he said with a sigh.

Hikari raised her brow.

"He says that about everything," Kiba cut in before she could become offended.

"Okay then?"

"So where are you living, Kari-chan?" Naruto asked; Hikari was beginning to hate that nickname the more he said it. She preferred Hikari, but did not say anything to him about it because he seemed so innocent in some kind of bizarre way.

"I'm renting a room out of Kakashi Hatake's house," Hikari said as she lifted more ramen to her lips.

"Isn't that against some code of ethics?" Shikamaru asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah, I asked that too," Hikari said with a sigh. "I guess some other teacher in the English department is going to mark my work."

"Why did you d-decide to m-move to Konoha, H-Hikari-san?" a shy lavender-eyed and aubergine-haired girl asked her from the end of the table.

Hikari frowned.

"Some family issues," Hikari answered as she lifted another bite of her ramen to her lips. "I didn't want to stay with my uncle…we don't get along."

"O-oh," the girl responded with a light blush on her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine…it's okay to be curious," Hikari said with a shrug.

"Why did you have to stay with your uncle?" Naruto asked loudly as he finished off his second bowl.

"I don't want to talk about it," Hikari said as she looked down into the broth of her soup.

"I'm sorry I brought it up," Naruto said sheepishly as he put his hand behind his head; hadn't she just said curiosity was fine?

"It's alright, you didn't know," Hikari said as she looked up and flashed him a forgiving smile.

"Come on, the bell is about to ring; you asked me to show you to class," Shikamaru said as he stood up.

Hikari nodded and followed suit.

"Well, have a nice day everyone," Hikari said with a small smile, but when she looked down at Sasuke, she ceased smiling, "except for you, I hope you get hit by a bus."

Naruto spluttered out his milk and began to laugh.

Before Sasuke could respond, she began to follow Shikamaru out into the halls.

"Already dislike Uchiha?" Shikamaru asked.

Hikari assumed he was talking about Sasuke.

"Yeah, he's an ass," Hikari said as she crossed her arms.

"Well, at least one girl in this school isn't stupid," Shikamaru said with a sigh. "Where's your locker?"

She fell into step at his side.

"Down this way, it's in the music hall," Hikari said as she pointed down the hallway.

Shikamaru stuffed his hands in his pockets and began to follow her.

"Thanks for getting me out of there, by the way," Hikari said as she looked at him over her shoulder. "I was sure they'd force me to tell them all about my family drama."

"It's not really that much of a deal, it just seemed like you were uncomfortable," Shikamaru said with a shrug.

"Yeah, well I don't really know them…I don't know who would be the big mouth and spread the word around," Hikari said as she stepped in front of her locker and opened it to gather her books for history. "My father died and it was either stay in my old home with my uncle or move out. I chose the latter."

"Ah," Shikamaru said. "Why not just live on your own in your old house?"

"My uncle inherited it," Hikari said with a sigh. "I couldn't kick him out. My father may have left all of his money to me, but not a shelter or anything to remember him by. He left that all to his brother."

Hikari closed her locker.

"Oh. Well, come on, I will show you to class."

**Chapter End Notes:** So, what do you guys think of Sasuke? Please let me know your feedback, it's really important I people leave their thoughts! Thanks!


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five:**

"Did you enjoy your first day of school?" Kakashi asked when he saw Hikari sat on the living room couch.

"Yeah, it was cool," Hikari said as she looked up at him. "I actually liked your class a lot."

"Thank you, are you ready to go? I figured we could also grab dinner and get to know each other," Kakashi said with a shrug. "I feel like I have been placed in a position where I am sort of like a guardian to you…I figured I should get to know you."

"Sounds cool," Hikari said with a nod as she stood up and grabbed her purse from the counter. "Let's go then."

He nodded and turned towards the door, opening it and allowing her to go first before closing it and locking it behind him.

They took Kakashi's car because he knew where he was going.

"Where to first?" he asked.

"Well, why don't we go get the stuff I need before the stores close…it's only five, we can eat around seven," Hikari said as she glanced at the time on the clock.

"Sounds good, you said you need some electronics, right?" he asked as he turned onto another street.

"Yeah, I need a lot of very expensive equipment…I have a lot of money in my bank account, but I think I want to get a job at some point to keep on top of it," Hikari said thoughtfully as she thought of the Bank of Konoha card sitting in her purse. "I don't want to blow through my entire inheritance, you know?"

"What kind of equipment?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"I need a cello, and the one I left at home cost about ten grand," Hikari said with a sigh.

"Ten grade for a musical instrument?" Kakashi deadpanned.

"The one I had at home was a really good one, I could get a decent one for a couple thousand…I have the money either way," Hikari said as she stretched. "It's going to take me a little while to pick one too because I need to play it and make sure it sounds nice."

"Why didn't you bring yours?" Kakashi asked with a sigh.

Hikari frowned.

"My uncle…it's the same reason I didn't bring anything but my clothing with me and a few personal items I could sneak out," Hikari said bitterly. "My father left his house and everything in it to my uncle, and left his fortune to me. My uncle was upset when I said I didn't want to live with him, so he said I was on my own."

"Wow," Kakashi said, "that sounds rough."

"Yeah," Hikari said with a shrug, "but I'm not going to let it bother me. I can replace what I need and everything about my parents I have in my memories; he couldn't take those away."

Kakashi nodded.

"_So, my story's working…if I keep this up, I might have people really hating me when I help my father rob them blind when I have been feeding them this story about my 'uncle',_" Hikari thought as she bit her lip. "_Sometimes, I hate the kind of person I am_…"

Kakashi turned into the parking lot of an electronics store.

"Let's get the computer you need," he said as he turned off the ignition and got out of the car.

Hikari grabbed her purse from the floor and then frowned knowing there was a gun at the bottom of it and electronic stores probably had detectors to check for stolen goods. She unzipped it and grabbed her wallet out of the bag. She opened the door and then followed Kakashi, making a mental note to hide the gun when she got home.

When Hikari stepped into the store, the salesclerk was immediately in her personal space.

"Can I help you with something?"

"I am going to need a sturdy laptop, printer, and a phone," Hikari said to the clerk.

The clerk's eyes widened a little, but she recovered and quickly scurried off with Hikari and Kakashi following behind, eager to make a sale.

"What screen size for the computer?"

"Average, I want high performance though," Hikari said, "something with a lot of space for gaming."

"Alright, this way," the clerk said.

"About the printer, I have one at home that you can hook up to your computer," Kakashi said as he leant towards Hikari. "You don't need a new one."

"Scratch the printer, I don't need it," Hikari told the clerk with a light smile; one less thing to buy for now.

"How about this model?" the clerk suggested as she showed Hikari an average sized laptop from the shelf; it was a dark and shiny red colour. "It's high performance; it's got twelve gigabytes of memory, a terabyte of hard-drive space and two gigabyte video card."

"How much?" Hikari asked as she looked at it questioningly; it seemed a bit over-the-top.

"This model is usually just above two grand, but we have it on sale for one thousand and six hundred dollars," the clerk said.

Hikari bit her lip and then nodded.

"Yeah, I feel like splurging, I'll take it," she said firmly.

The saleswoman smiled.

"Awesome," she said as she took out her keys and removed one of the computers from the locked cupboard below the display. The saleswoman handed Hikari the box. "Now to get you a phone, what do you have in mind?"

"Can I set up a plan here for it?" Hikari asked as she followed the woman from the isle.

"Yes, you can arrange a plan here, we have a deal with _Signal_, one of the most highly regarded service providers in the Land of Fire," the clerk told her as they walked to the area with the phone displays.

"Well, I'd like something easy to manage," Hikari said as she gazed at the many phones lying in front of her.

"Touch screen?"

"Well, if it has a lock feature while I am talking so my face doesn't hang up on anyone," Hikari said as she crossed her arms. "My friend had a phone that did that."

"Well, this version of the _Raspberry_ has both a touch screen and a slide-out keyboard," the woman said as she picked up one of the phones; it had a heavy-duty cable attached to it that made it so people couldn't steal the phone, "and it does have the feature that you can lock the screen and speak at the same time. You just hit this button on the side, here."

"What kind of plan can I get with it?" Hikari asked as she gazed at it the area the clerk showed her.

"For seventy a month you can get unlimited talk and text to anyone in the Land of Fire," the woman said. "The plan also gets you the phone for one-hundred and ninety-nine dollars."

"That's not bad," Hikari said thoughtfully. "Yeah, I will get that one."

"Alright," the clerk said with a smile as she unlocked the case under the display and took out another box. "Are you interested in a case for your computer?"

"Yes, I'd like a sturdy bag for my laptop," Hikari said as she crossed her arms.

The clerk nodded.

"Any colour?"

"Red, purple, or black," Hikari said as she began to follow the clerk again.

"Now this laptop bag is an over the shoulder bag, and it's a bit pricey, but it has lots of room for books for classes and a really well padded area for your laptop to reduce damage. I'd say it's the safest bag we carry," the clerk said as she picked up a black bag and showed Hikari.

"How much?"

"Eighty dollars."

"Yeah, we will get that," Hikari said as she grabbed the bag from the clerk and handed it to Kakashi.

"So we will register the phone here and set up the plan that way you go home, take it out and charge it. Once you have fully charged it, it's ready to go," the woman said as she led them to the resister.

"Okay," Hikari said with a nod.

"First, let's get you paid off," the clerk said as she began to ring up all the items. "Your total comes out to be two thousand two hundred and forty-one dollars and thirty-five cents."

Kakashi sighed from behind Hikari and she lightly laughed.

"Relax, this is nothing," Hikari said as she took out her bankcard from her purse. "Debit please."

The clerk nodded and handed Hikari the machine to put her card in and pay. Hikari put in the card, entered her pin and then waited until it said 'approved'.

"Alright, let me just in the system and set up your phone," the woman said as she took the machine from Hikari and then began to type on the computer. "Name?"

"Hikari Koizumi," Hikari said, "H-i-k-a-r-i K-o-i-z-u-m-i."

"Identification, please?" the clerk asked after she typed in Hikari's name.

Hikari took out her licence and handed it to the woman whom nodded. After she copied down the information she needed, Hikari told the clerk her current address and phone number.

"Email address?" the clerk asked.

"Hikari Koizumi, all one word and lowercase, at k-academy dot LF," Hikari replied as she put away her license and bankcard.

"Ah, you go to the Konoha Academy?" the woman asked with a light smile.

"Yes I do," Hikari said with a nod.

"Alright, service should be to your phone within three hours, but if it's not, call this number," the woman said as she handed Hikari a number she had wrote out. "It will connect you to _Signal_'s main office."

"Thanks," Hikari said with a nod.

"Have a wonderful evening," the clerk said with a smile as she bagged Hikari's items and then handed her the two large bags.

"Well, that was expensive," Kakashi said as they got into his car.

"Can you pop the trunk?" Hikari asked with a laugh.

"Sure," he said.

Hikari placed the items in his trunk and then sat down in her seat.

"Where too next?"

"The nearest classical instrument store," Hikari said with a shrug.

"It's funny to think this is going to cost more money than the computer and phone," Kakashi said with a sigh as he turned on the ignition and then backed out of the parking space.


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six:**

"Eleven grand later," Kakashi said with a sigh as he watched Hikari carry the large instrument in its new case. He had the stand for it. "Will it even fit in my car?"

"Yes," Hikari said with a smile. "I will lay it across the back seat. "I got the three quarter cello, so it's a little smaller than a full size."

"I'll buy dinner, you've spent enough today," Kakashi said with a sigh.

Hikari chuckled.

"Thanks, and they say chivalry is dead," Hikari said with amusement.

"I guess I'm just a nice guy?" Kakashi asked as he scratched the back of his head. "You played that really great in the store, by the way..."

"Thanks," Hikari said with a bright smile. "I have been playing for about six years and my personal instructor always said I had a gift for it."

"Well, I don't know much about music, but I'd say you do too," Kakashi said as he unlocked his car and opened the back seat door for Hikari. "However, why did you buy your own when you could use the school's cello?"

"Well, I want one at home that I can use at any time…also, the one the school has is nice, but it's not the quality I am used to," Hikari said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Kakashi shook his head.

"I'd be like you just borrowing the school's crumby copy of _Hamlet_ instead of owning the very expensive copy I spied on your bookshelf at home…that must have set you back about two hundred dollars…" Hikari said with a raised brow as she carefully put the cello in the car and its stand.

"It's a rare copy that belonged to a-" Kakashi cut himself off. "Okay, point taken."

Hikari smiled triumphantly.

"Now, let's go get some food," Hikari said as she gently shut the door and got into the front seat again.

Kakashi opened his door and sat down in the driver's seat, doing up his seatbelt at the same time as Hikari.

"Alright, let's go."

…

When Hikari got home, she brought her new things into her room, being careful with all of them. However, the first thing she decided to play with was her cello. She took out the large instrument and sat herself on the chair in front of her desk, placing it between her knees and then bringing the bow to its strings. She began to play and eventually got lost in the music, closing her eyes and just letting it flow out of her.

An hour passed and she decided she should set up her computer before school the next day, so she set her cello in its case and closed it. She brought the laptop out of its box, set it on the desk and then plugged it into the nearest outlet. She hit the power button and watched the screen come to life with bright light. She had to type in small bits of information; her name, the language she spoke in, and the time zone. Once she configured it, she was good to go.

"Might as well get some anti-virus software on here," Hikari said as she opened up the web browser and went to _Google_.

She typed the name of the virus software she had on her old computer into the search engine. Soon enough, she had downloaded it and paid for it with her online banking.

"Oh yeah, Kakashi gave me his online banking number," Hikari said as she went to her bank's site. "I had better set my account to pay him three hundred every month."

After she had finished, Hikari stared at her computer, realising that it needed a decent background. She went to _Google_ again and searched for background, selecting one she liked.

"Okay, I might as well check my _Facebook_ now," Hikari said with a frown. "I had to delete my old one and then create a new one for this and add some of the kids I know who don't know about my family. It had better been worth it."

Hikari raised her brow when she realised she had a friend request. Clicking it, she sighed.

"Naruto?" she asked as she hit the accept button. "Talk about fast."

Hikari looked around his profile, digging for information.

"This might give me an idea of his wealth," Hikari uttered quietly as she looked through his pictures; he was in a lot of group ones.

Hikari spotted Sasuke in a picture and saw he also had an account because he was tagged; she frowned when her mind reeled to music class again.

"What is his problem? I bet with how stuck up he is, he's got to have some serious cash," Hikari said as she clicked his name; however, his privacy settings were locked tight and she could not see anything. "Ah whatever, I'm going to plug in the phone then go to bed."

…

Music was very awkward the next day for Hikari; she hated sitting next to the teen named Sasuke. He hadn't said anything to her yet, but that didn't mean she wasn't thinking of what he said yesterday.

A scowl formed on her lips as she played, letting her anger fuel her bow-work; she was used to playing when she was sad or angry, so it didn't affect her skill anymore, if anything is made her better. Before, music was her way to rid herself of everything she hated; it was her only vent. She didn't have anyone she could speak to or really confide in when it came to a lot of the issues she face, so she often used her cello to speak in saddening music; however, it didn't matter how much she played, no one bothered to care.

Sasuke's words began to creep into her mind again; she wasn't so mad at what he said, but why he said it. As far as she was concerned, she had done nothing to him; she had indeed gone over the events of the day in her mind several times and couldn't find an instance where she might have offended him. His comments were truly uncalled for.

Hikari gritted her teeth and tried to push the black-eyed boy out of her mind, but it was difficult to do so when he was sitting right next to her, acting as if she hadn't wished he'd be hit by a bus the day before.

Hikari glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes; she felt like that stupid cocky grin that was lifting his lips might be there because he knew he had bothered her and was still bothering her.

Hikari lifted her bow away from the cello when the piece ended and Sasuke let his playing hand hang past the chords of his guitar; she took notice to the bulky black bracelet he wore, with a silver chain going around the middle of it. He also wore a few rings on his playing hand. Hikari tried to push the fact that he had a good sense of style out of her mind, because she was angry at him.

"Alright, class, next week we're going to have a paired project," Ms. Yuhi called.

"I'm going to be on Sasuke's team!" Ino yelled as she raised her hand.

"No, Pig! I am!" the pink haired girl who sat beside Ino said.

"No, neither of you are going to be," Ms. Yuhi said as she rolled her eyes. "I am assigning partners based on instruments. This project needs to be taken seriously; it's worth twenty-five percent of your mark; that's just five percent less than your exam. I am going to pair you into twos and then the teams are going to compose a piece of music to play together at the winter concert."

Hikari groaned; she hated working with others when it came to music because syncing with another person was particularly difficult, especially when they played a different instrument.

"It's worth so much," Hikari uttered as she shook her head, "and I have to rely on some idiot here?"

Sasuke scoffed next to her and she shot him a glare.

"Alright, I will tell you your partners next week," Ms. Yuhi said. "Now get out of here."

Hikari put the cello on its stand with its bow and then closed her music book. She stood up and bent down to collect her bag off the ground, only to bump into Sasuke who was trying to put his guitar away.

"Ouch, oh I'm-"

"Watch it, loser," he said with a chill in his tone, thoroughly cutting her off as he backed away.

Hikari paused and her eyes narrowed to a glare.

"I was going to apologise, but screw that," she said as she snatched her bag and stood up straight. "God, you're such a jackass."

Hikari swiftly turned and walked towards the door, with Sasuke following close behind.

…

Hikari sat down in her assigned seat in English class, thankful that she didn't sit anywhere near Sasuke.

Kakashi had his class sit in rows of three, and she was sitting in between two desks that had been left vacant the day before. However, today was a different story; two boys entered the room at the same time and sat on both sides of her.

"My, my, who are you?" the boy who sat to her right asked.

Hikari glanced at his face and felt her cheeks heat; he was hot. His inky-black tousled hair hung just above his baby-blue eyes and his jaw-line was perfect in her eyes; not too defined, but not hidden. Like Sasuke, he wore rings, but only more. As Hikari studied him, she realised that he liked jewellery because he wore a silver eyebrow piercing, a chain neck lace, and black bangles on both wrists.

Hikari smiled at him.

"I'm Hikari Koizumi," she said as she held out her hand; he shook it with a firm grasp.

"I'm Sora," he said as he looked into her eyes and grinned, "Sora Hayate. By the way, the guy on the other side of you is my older brother, Hoshi."

Hikari turned her attention and looked to her left to see Sora's brother. His hair was bluer than Sora's and it fell around his head in a similar fashion, but it looked tidier.

"Hello, I'm Hikari," Hikari said with a light smile.

Hoshi opened his amber coloured eyes and looked her way with a gentle smile.

"It's nice to meet you," he said as he shook her hand as well.

"Aren't you guys in the morning music class?" Hikari asked as she looked back at Sora.

"Yeah, I am, I play percussion," Sora said as he reached into his pocket and retrieved one of his drum sticks. He began to twirl it around using his fingers.

Hikari smiled.

"Not you, Hoshi?" she asked as she looked towards him again.

"No, I have a civics class in the morning," he said with a shrug. "When it comes to art I am more into poetry."

"That's cool," Hikari said with a smile and a nod. "Does that mean you're in the writer's craft class next semester?"

He nodded with a smile.

"Are you?"

"Yep," Hikari answered. "I like art in general, so I figured I'd give creative writing a try. However, I really like music and photography."

"That's awesome!" Sora said from next to her. "I really love drawing."

"Oh yeah?" Hikari asked as she turned to him. "Are you any good at it?"

Sora reached into his pocket and took out a pencil and opened the notebook he brought. In less than a minute, he sketched something small and passed the book to Hikari to look at.

On the piece of lined paper Sora had sketched a picture of the head of a rose.

"Wow, that's so awesome," Hikari said as she took a closer look. "It looks so real."

"Thanks," he said as he slid the notebook back onto his desk. "Maybe you'd let me draw you some day?"

"I don't know," Hikari said bashfully.

"Sora, stop flirting with her, you're making her uncomfortable," Hoshi said as he rested his head on his hands.

"Hey, I'm not-" Sora cut himself off out of his own embarrassment.

Hikari laughed and shook her head.

"Thanks, Hoshi, I really appreciate that."


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven:**

"We should eat lunch together," Sora proclaimed to his brother and Hikari as he followed them to the door of the class.

"I'd love-"

"NO! KARI-CHAN IS MY LUNCH BUDDY!"

Hikari blinked and looked over to see Naruto running up to her. She sighed and shook her head.

"Well, why don't you join us for lunch?" Hikari asked as she turned back to Sora. "Naruto did kind of claim my lunches yesterday."

"And be near Uchiha?" Sora asked bitterly as he watched Sasuke stroll towards the door. "No way."

"Like I'd want to eat lunch with any of you anyways, you can have her," Sasuke said as he passed them, "she isn't wanted."

Hikari glared and opened her mouth to say something, but Sora beat her to the punch.

"You're just pissed because such a beautiful girl could care less about you," Sora said smugly, "and the fact that she's leagues above you."

"Unlike you, I don't need to be desperately defend a girl to get her affection," Sasuke said as he turned to look at Sora with dull eyes, "all I need to do is call a name."

"Fuck, I'd rather date him than you," Hikari said as she narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.

Sasuke's lips curled into a sly smirk.

"You'd come running as quick as any other girl if I came calling."

Hikari's hands tightened to fists.

"Come on, you don't need to listen to this," Sora said as he began to walk towards the door.

Hikari sighed and followed him however, before he got there, he turned and aimed a right fist for Sasuke's face.

Sora's eyes widened when Sasuke caught his fist and smirked at him.

"Like you could-"

Sasuke was cut off when Hikari's left hook slammed right into his face.

"Touch you?" Hikari asked as she lowered her fist, her voice trembling with rage.

Sasuke let go of Sora and then took a step towards Hikari threateningly. Hikari narrowed her eyes and lifted her fists, ready to hit him again.

"What's going on in here?"

Hikari and Sasuke both looked towards Kakashi who had come back to his classroom with his lunch. He looked between Sasuke's reddening cheek, his rigid stance, and Hikari's raised fists.

"Both of you, office, now," Kakashi said sternly.

"I didn't do anything," Sasuke said as he glared at Kakashi.

"Office. Now."

"Wait a minute! He was being a complete asshole," Sora said to Kakashi. "Hikari had every right to hit him!"

"They're going to the office and unless you'd like to join them, get out of here," Kakashi said as he looked down at Sora.

Hoshi sighed and took his brother by the arm, leading him out of the class.

"Get going, and if you don't go there, you both will have detention with me for a month on top of whatever they give you," Kakashi said as he peered down at Hikari and Sasuke.

Hikari rolled her eyes and left the room with Sasuke following behind her; this was entirely _his_fault.

…

"What happened?" a blonde woman demanded as she stepped in front of Hikari and Sasuke who were seated next to each other in her office.

Hikari knew she was going to be the one in a lot of trouble; Sasuke had done nothing but provoke her, she actually hit him.

"Well, I-"

"I told Hikari to hit me because I didn't believe she would," Sasuke spoke up as he crossed his arms. "I provoked her and she said she was going to hit me, I didn't believe her so I told her to hit me as hard as she possibly could."

The principal raised her brow.

"You told her to hit you?"

"…Yeah."

Hikari was bewildered; Sasuke had blatantly lied to Principal Tsunade when he could have thrown her under the bus. What in the world was going on? Had she missed a memo or something?

"Why in the world would you _ask_someone to hit you, Uchiha?" she demanded as she put her hands on her hips.

"I think I already explained that," Sasuke stated with a roll of his eyes as he crossed his arms.

As Hikari watched the scene, her mind was thrown into utter chaos.

_"Why is he lying for me? Does he want something from me? Is he just trying to save his own ass somehow?"_

"Koizumi? Answer my question," the principal demanded.

Hikari shook her head and looked up at the stern blonde woman.

"Um, what?"

She sighed with obvious impatience and annoyance reflecting in her posture.

"Regardless of the fact that he told you to do it, why did you want to hit Sasuke?"

"Uh, because I don't like him?" she answered uncertainly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and let out an inaudible sigh from beside her and she could tell by the sudden tension in his body that she had said the wrong thing to the stern woman.

"You don't like him?"

"No ma'am…we don't get along," Hikari said, feeling suddenly small.

"Well then," the principal said as she swiftly turned around, walked around her desk and then sat in her large black-leather rolling chair, "here at Konoha Academy, we have a zero tolerance policy for violence…however, you are a new student and it is your first offense. You're also not entirely at fault." Her eyes flicked to Sasuke. "Now, because you feel it's okay to lash out at fellow students because 'you don't like them' and you Sasuke feel it's okay to instigate other students to hit you for whatever your reason is, you both should share a punishment."

Hikari wanted to groan aloud.

_"I don't want to be in detention with him, please,"_Hikari thought.

"I'm not going to give you detention," Tsunade said as if she had read her student's mind.

Hikari's sense of doom lifted and she felt a tiny light of hope spread through her body.

"I'm going to give you something worse."

The hope was smothered as soon as it had appeared.

"I don't care why you don't like each other, it's unacceptable. I swear in all my years of being in this position, I have never heard a more stupid excuse for fighting. I expect more from my students. Even if you don't like each other, at least exercise patience and restraint," Tsunade said firmly, "but because you can't do that, I am going to force you to learn how; after all, this is a school and it is my job to place you in an environment to learn."

_"Oh god…"_ Hikari thought as she bit her lip. _"I have the worst feeling I am going to hate this." _

"From this moment on, until the end of school in June the two of you will work on every group project together in all of your shared classes," Tsunade said as she crossed her arms. "I am also going to switch around your schedules next semester so you have at least three classes together, like this semester."

Hikari's jaw hit the floor.

"You can't do that," Sasuke said with ice dripping from every word.

Tsunade leaned forwards and smiled.

"I am the principal, I can do what I want, Uchiha," she said smugly. "It's either learning to work together, or fail your classes. I've heard there are some group projects in various classes this year that have some hefty percentages of your grades attached to them, so you had better start learning."


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight:**

"Seriously?" Sora asked weakly as he looked at Hikari from his seat next to her in their visual arts class. "All projects?"

"Yeah," Hikari said as she looked up towards Sasuke who sat two tables away; she had an uneasy feeling settle in her gut, "all because I punched him."

"Well, you did put a bruise on his cheek if that makes you feel better," Sora said with a shrug.

"It doesn't really…" Hikari admitted with a sigh. "I'm still just as pissed and the satisfaction didn't make up for how my hand hurt either."

"Hit bone?"

"Yeah," Hikari said with a light chuckle.

"Well, you should be proud of yourself…did you see how pissed he was?" Sora said as he glanced towards the Uchiha.

"I wasn't really proud of that, I thought he was going to hit me," Hikari said nervously, "I really did."

"What kind of guy hits a girl?" Sora asked with a raised brow. "As if he said you'd be his call girl. You are not one of those annoying groupies who follow him around."

"Yeah, I have other shit to focus on," Hikari said as she shook her head. "He's not even that attractive, I don't get it."

"You said it," Sora said. "My brother's got girls that follow him around like that too, but he's gay."

Hikari laughed, not because Hoshi was gay, but because it was a hopeless quest for the girls.

Their conversation died and Hikari returned to doing her sketching project in the sketch book she had bought from Ms. Yuhi. While she was sketching, her thoughts returned to when she was in the principal's office.

"_Why did Sasuke lie to her?_" Hikari asked as she began to sketch a fruit like her assignment sheet asked her to; she chose an apple. "_I don't get it, he hates me, but it's like he protected me there and got in more trouble than it was worth_."

Hikari sighed and decided that she would play music to get her mind off of what was going on. She reached into her book bag and took out her iPod and plugged one of the earphones into the ear on the opposite side Sora sat.

"What are you listening to?" he asked as he watched her start to move her head to the music floating into her ears. He peeked over her shoulder. "_Where the Spirit Leads Me_ by _Times of Grace_?"

Hikari noticed Sasuke looked directly at her and then smirk before returning to his book; she didn't like that look on him, it meant he was up to no good. He was probably going to make fun of her.

"Is that a rock band?" Sora asked as he returned to drawing.

"It's a fusion of metal and melodic rock," Hikari informed him as she looked up at him.

"Ah, I'm more into alternative rock myself," he explained, "_Three Days Grace, Neon Trees, Mariana's Trench, and Maroon 5_...stuff like that."

Hikari laughed.

"The only band you mentioned there that's actually Alt Rock is _Three Days Grace_...the rest would be considered pop to a fan like me," Hikari said as she looked towards Sora. "However, I don't mind the bands you mentioned. I will listen to them on the radio, but I wouldn't buy an album, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it," Sora said with a nod. "Hoshi is more into classical music…everything he listens to is practically instrumentals."

"Whoa, can't dis instrumentals around me," Hikari said as she playfully shoved at Sora. "I'm a cello player!"

The song changed on her iPod and Sora smiled.

"I like _Breaking Benjamin_," he said.

"Yeah, I actually like them a lot despite them being pretty whiney," Hikari said as she looked down at the device in front of her. "I mostly love the guitar in their songs; they've got a good sound."

"Hey, do you have a cellphone?" Sora asked as he looked her in the eye; somehow, whenever he did that, it sent her stomach into flips.

"Yeah, I've got one," Hikari said with a playful smirk. "Are you going to stalk me?"

"Yes," he answered as he held out his hand.

Hikari smiled as she took out her phone and gave it to him.

"Wow, nice phone," he said as he checked it out. "It looks brand new."

"It is," Hikari said with a nod. "My uncle took my old one. I'm lucky I got my iPod out of that mess without him knowing."

"Mess?"

"I'll explain later when there aren't so many people I don't want knowing my drama around," Hikari said a little loudly, just letting Sasuke know she wanted him to fuck off; she was sure he was listening.

Her suspicions were confirmed when he lifted his hand, without looking up or stopping sketching, and stuck up his middle finger.

"God, I hate him, Sora," she uttered as she shook her head.

He looked up towards Sasuke and nodded.

"Anyone who has any sense does…"

After a couple of moments, Sora gave back her phone and continued sketching.

"So, can I see what you're drawing?" Hikari asked, shaking Sasuke out of her head.

Sora smirked and closed his book before she could get close enough to see.

"No can do, I'm not finished," he said as he slipped his pencil into his pocket.

Hikari pouted as she closed her book too, readying for the end of class.

"Fine then, I don't want to see."

"Sure you don't."

…

Hikari loudly groaned as she walked into Kakashi's house.

"Fuck my life!"

"Watch your language," he said without looking away from the book he was reading on his couch.

"Why?" she asked him as she plopped down next to him on the couch. "Why did you send me to that evil woman's lair?"

"You breeched school rules, I can't favour one student over another," Kakashi said as he looked up at her from his book.

"But you _know_ Uchiha deserved it!" Hikari protested. "Do you know what he said to me?"

Kakashi sighed.

"I walked in after you hit him," Kakashi said as he closed his book and crossed his arms.

"He said I was his call-girl!" Hikari yelled as she tightened her fists. "He's such an idiot; as If I would even consider touching someone so vile and disgusting!"

"Hikari, he's just trying to bother you and you're only showing him that he can by reacting," Kakashi said as he looked towards her.

"Do you know of what that evil woman did to me?" Hikari asked in a whisper as her eye twitched.

"I have been informed through email," Kakashi responded with a sigh.

"I am going to fail my music class!" Hikari said as she threw her arms in the air out of exasperation. "Twenty-five percent of my mark, gone!"

"You will think before you act now, won't you?" Kakashi said as he cracked his neck.

"I was thinking of going to a music school," Hikari said with a frown. "How and I supposed to do that when I am going to fail my junior music class?"

"They only care about your senior year," Kakashi said with a shrug. "Besides, I would worry more about History."

"Sasuke's not in my history class," Hikari said as she raised her brow and looked toward Kakashi.

"Sasuke had an elective in that period, however, because he skipped History class last year and failed, Tsunade had him switched into your class," Kakashi said as he opened his book again. "It could be because of what happened, it might not be. It all depends on how you look at it."

"Hikari groaned and threw herself back into the cushions.

"Why? Why did this have to happen to me of all people?"

"Maybe you will think twice about hitting someone," Kakashi said with a shrug, "even if they do deserve it."

I received a review yesterday that was a little confusing, but I got the main point; you accused me of stealing my own character and story. I'm not mad, because you're most likely just mistaken. Unfortunately, people make similar characters in this fandom and I tried my best to make Hikari Koizumi very unique, but I guess I failed because you claim to have seen her other places. I'm not sure if you're confused and don't realise that this story is an AU spin on my actually story about Hikari, Hebi No Ko. I wrote both of them if that's what you're talking about. If someone has stolen my work and posted it somewhere else, I would ask if you give me the link. I assure you, whoever you are because you reviewed anonymously, that Hikari Koizumi is completely of my own making. I didn't steal and 'alter' her character. I deleted your review because you didn't make much sense and I couldn't even respond to it. I don't mind people reviewing anonymously, but I will delete anything I feel is offensive or someone just being a troll.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine:**

"I need to get to know the students better," Hikari said as she chewed on the cap of her pen as she looked at her computer. "Teens hang out at the mall; maybe I should try to get everyone together this weekend as a way to get to know them, or more correctly, get to know their wallets…" Hikari nodded to herself as she took her pen out of her mouth and tapped it on the desk. "But who am I going to invite, Naruto and Sora? They're the only kids I have gotten to know since I started a couple days ago. I need someone social to get a few more people to come…"

An image of Hikari's music class floated to her mind and the focal point was the two hopelessly annoying girls who played flute and sat in the front row.

"Those two?" Hikari groaned to herself as she turned to her laptop and brought up an internet browser page. "Why do I do this to myself?"

Hikari logged into _Facebook_ and saw she had three friend requests; Sora, Hoshi, and the boy named Kiba. She shrugged and accepted them all.

"What was that girl's name?" Hikari wondered as she looked at the ceiling. "Sakina? Sakuya?"

Hikari shook her head and sighed as she got up and walked to her door and out into the hallway.

"Hey Kakashi?" she asked as she entered the living area to see him spread out on the couch, reading his book; she didn't think he used to free time to do much else.

"Are you going to complain more about having to work with Sasuke?" he asked with boredom in his tone.

"No," Hikari said as she shook her head and smiled. "I was wondering if you could tell me who the girl is who sits in between Naruto and Sasuke in your class."

"Why?" he asked as he raised a thin silver-brow.

"I wanted to get to know some of the girls my age, and I've talked to her briefly, but I can't remember her name. I was going to send her a message on _Facebook_ about hanging out at the mall some time," Hikari said as folded her arms.

"Her name is Sakura Haruno," he responded.

"That's right," Hikari said with recognition. "For some reason I thought it was Sakina...thanks Kakashi!"

He nodded and then looked back at the pages of his book as she turned around and walked back to her room.

In a couple of minutes, she had typed Sakura a message.

_Hi Sakura, _

_We met the other day in music class. I'm sorry I was rude; I was having a tough morning and took it out on you. That Sasuke guy and I don't really get along. I was hoping maybe we could start over and be friends. Do you want to hang out at the mall this weekend? I'm thinking of inviting a few people and I figured you could bring a few people a long too._

_Hikari Koizumi_

With a roll of her eyes, Hikari sent her message full of false apologies to Sakura.

"Alright then, at least I might get some progress into this job," Hikari said quietly as she stood up and stretched.

Hikari decided she'd play cello for a while and then she'd go to bed, however she looked back at her computer with a raised brow when her _Facebook_ page pinged; had Sakura already responded?

Hikari walked away from her cello and back to her chair. Sure enough, Sakura had.

_Hi, Hikari, it was really sweet of you to message me like this. I'm sorry about Ino; she can come off a little strong. I'd love to go to the mall. I'll bring some people for you to meet if you haven't already! Girl's day out?_

Hikari chewed on the inside of her lip as she read the message a few times over before replying.

_Why limit the fun? I want to bring my friends Sora and Hoshi along. One of them is gay, but they're still not girls. I say we bring the gang, Kiba, Naruto, Shikamaru (if we can get him there), etc. etc. _

_Hikari_

Hikari hit the send button and then leaned back in her chair, knowing Sakura's reply would be pretty quick; she wasn't sure if the girl had _Facebook _on her phone or was just constantly in front of her computer. Sure enough, a ping went off.

_Sounds great! I will get some people together for Saturday at two. There's a dance coming up, so I think people wouldn't mind shopping around. See you tomorrow!_

Just as Hikari finished reading, another ping went off; Sakura had added her as a friend. Hikari accepted and then studied Sakura's profile picture; the girl had long petal-pink hair that fell around her head in flawless perfection and her bangs covered her forehead that was a little too large. Her eyes reminded Hikari of the greenish-blue waters of the ocean beaches that everyone talked about; she had to admit that Sakura was actually quite pretty.

Hikari shut her laptop and stretched. She walked over to her cello and sat sown, taking the bow in her hand and bringing the instrument to her body. That stupid boy that sat next to her in music class appeared in her mind, but instead of letting him bother her, she played everything she wanted to scream at him on her cello.

…

_I never said you weren't annoying too. _

_Watch it, loser. _

_She's not welcome. _

_You'd come running like every other girl. _

_You're nothing special. _

_Didn't I tell you not to come here? _

_As if she can even think. _

_Why did you even move here again?_

**_Just go away. _**

Hikari closed her eyes as her grip tightened on her pencil. She hated the way Sasuke made her feel; she hated him.

"So, are you going to sit with that jerk after what he said the other day?" Sora uttered as he ran his hand through his hair and watched Kakashi write their homework out onto the board.

Hikari frowned as she looked down at her notebook.

"I want to sit there with my friends, but every time I come to the table now, he gives me that stupid glare," Hikari quietly responded. "I think I am just going go to the library during lunch."

"And how do you expect to eat there?" Hoshi asked, joining the conversation. "No food allowed."

"I don't know, I will figure it out," Hikari said bitterly as her grip tightened on her pencil. "I don't get why he's such a jerk to me, I've never done anything to him."

Sora shook his head.

"Just don't think about him," he said as finished copying Kakashi's words and then closed his book.

"It's hard when he's in every one of my classes now…" She looked between them and then frowned to herself as she hung her head. "I just don't feel up to company today guys, I am going to eat alone," she said as she closed her own book and put her pencil in her pencil case.

"Don't be like that Hikari, it's not going to help," Sora said as he looked into her eyes. "All you're going to do is dwell on the idiot. Just hang out with m-…us."

Despite how much she wanted to listen to Sora, Sasuke's words whispered in her ears; his hate for her was clear. She couldn't help but dwell on the torment he put her through because of the fact that she couldn't figure out why he was being so mean. She couldn't get away from anything he said to her, Sora just didn't realise it wasn't as easy as he made it seem.

"I want to be alone," she said as she hastily stood up and walked towards the door.

"The bell hasn't gone yet, sit-" Kakashi said as he looked up at her from his desk; however he cut himself off when he noticed the tears falling from her eyes. "Yeah, go ahead."

Hikari nodded in appreciation and then left the class in a rush.

Hikari walked down the halls, trying to stop herself from crying; she hated herself for it. She had no reason to cry, it wasn't like she was some pathetic girl. It wasn't like it was that easy for him to hurt her feelings, but he had.

The bell rung and she knew she had to move faster.

She stopped in front of her locker and opened it, tossing everything inside and grabbing her light jacket from within. She swung it on and then slammed her locker, taking off in a fast stride; she didn't see the other person on just the other side of the door. She slammed directly into them.

"Kari-chan?"

Her watery eyes connected with his sky-blue ones.

"Why are you crying, Hikari?" he asked with a frown.

"It's nothing," she lied as she wiped her eyes.

"Why don't you come eat lunch with us? You didn't yesterday…" Naruto said as he grabbed her hand.

Her mind reeled to the day before yesterday when she sat next to Sasuke in the seat she had been occupying at the lunch table since she arrived at the school. As the conversation and chatter started, he leant closer to her so that his breath fanned across her neck and his lips were at her ear.

"**_Just go away_****.**"

Hikari shook her head as she pushed the memory away and began to walk around Naruto.

"I'm sorry, I'm not welcome at your table," she said quietly.

"What are you talking…?" Naruto trailed off when he turned and saw that she had already weaved her way through the people and was walking out the front doors.

He ran after her.

…

"So you're upset because Sasuke is always cruel to you?" Naruto asked as he leaned against the seat of the booth he and Hikari occupied.

The boy had followed her all the way out of the school and insisted that he wanted to help her feel better; he wanted to help her even he barely knew her. To Hikari, that showed her that he was one of the nicest people she had ever met.

"Yeah, he always says really hurtful things to me," Hikari said as she flipped over the piece of beef she had on the grill in front of her with her chopsticks; Naruto had suggested barbeque and she couldn't argue with that, "a lot of the time I feel like I haven't done anything to him to deserve treatment like that. Well, except for lately; I've been mean back."

"He still shouldn't be such a jerk!" Naruto proclaimed as he picked up three slices of beef off of the grill at once and then stuck them in his mouth. "He does it to everyone though; you shouldn't take it so personally."

"I don't know…" Hikari said with a sigh as she picked up her slice of beef and blew on it. After she was sure it wasn't burning hot, she placed it in her mouth. "I feel like he targets me."

"That's weird if he does," Naruto said as he closed his eyes and crossed his arms, "Teme doesn't usually waste his time like that. Sure he is a jerk and says mean stuff all the time, but he usually says it when someone ticks him off."

Hikari shrugged and put more beef on the grill.

"Well, I guess I must have really pissed him off somehow. Do you want to know what's worse?" Hikari asked as she raised a delicate brow. Naruto didn't say no, so she continued. "I have to work on all my projects with that bastard."

"Why?" Naruto asked as he flipped the beef on the grill and then took a long sip of the cup of water that was placed in front of him.

"I guess you left the room before you saw all that," Hikari said as she rolled her eyes. "So, as you may have noticed, I've made friends with the Hayate brothers. As I was leaving with him, you demanded I'd eat lunch again, remember?"

"Yeah, once Sasuke began to talk I left because I had to run to get food from the cafeteria…if you don't get there right away, there's a huge line," Naruto explained with a nod.

"Well, you heard him say that 'they could have me' and that 'I wasn't wanted', right?" Hikari asked as she picked up another piece of beef and blew on it.

Naruto nodded as he picked up more beef and ate it.

"Well, Sora then decided to chew him out for being such a bastard," Hikari said and then ate the beef clutched between her chopsticks before continuing. "Sasuke then went on to say that Sora was only 'desperately' defending me because he wanted to get with me. I said that I'd rather be with Sora than him. Sasuke then thought it would be appropriate to say I was like every other girl and 'I'd come running as soon as he came calling'...pretty much called me a call-girl in front of my friends."

Naruto shook his head and crossed his arms.

"What a jerk…"

"Oh no, it gets better," Hikari said with a small sarcastic laugh. "Sora tried to punch him, but Sasuke caught his fist. I got so mad at his arrogance and everything he said, I don't know what came over me; before I knew it, I had slammed my left-hook right into his face."

Naruto looked up at Hikari with a smile.

"You punched Sasuke in the face?"

"Yeah, but Kakashi caught us and then sent us to Tsunade. She then decided that instead of detention or suspension, we should have to practice basic human social skills," Hikari said sourly as she folded her arms. "In every class we share, Sasuke and I have to work together on group assignments."

"That sucks," Naruto said as he shook his head and put more beef on the grill.

Hikari nodded in agreement and ate some of the pieces that she had finished cooking.

"I can't be near him without feeling so damn insecure and upset," Hikari said in a frustrated tone. "I am so past my limit that every time he sends me that stupid glare, I feel terrible about myself! How the hell am I supposed to work with someone like that?"

"I'd sink him," Naruto said as he nodded to himself, "make sure he doesn't pass."

"I can't do that, I need good grades if I want to go to a good University or College," Hikari said with a sigh. "I am in such a bad situation."

"Maybe he will warm up to you?"

"Ha, that's actually so unlikely that it's funny…" Hikari muttered as she looked at her wrist. "Hey, Naruto, it's twelve thirty, we have class in twenty. We should head back."

Naruto nodded as he scooped up the rest of the beef he had put on the grill and ate it. Hikari smiled.

"Hey, we need the check!" Naruto called.

"It's on me?" Hikari asked as she reached to her side for her wallet.

"No, what kind of guy would I be if I let a girl I forced to go out to lunch with me pay for me?" Naruto asked with a chuckle as he brought out his wallet and opened it. He pulled out a bill and smiled sheepishly. "I hope they take hundred-dollar bills."

Hikari's eyes widened.

"Why are you carrying cash like that around with you?" Hikari asked, dumbfounded.

The waited stepped between them and gave Naruto the bill.

"Do you accept hundred-dollar bills?"

The waiter looked him up and down.

"No…"

"Alright, can I use my bankcard then?" Naruto asked as he stood up; Hikari followed suit.

As the waiter led them away a thought struck Hikari.

"_Maybe Naruto is one of those kids my father wants me to watch out for_," she thought as she looked at the wallet he brought his bank card out of to use the machine.

Naruto finished with the machine and turned to her with a large grin.

"Come on, Kari-chan," Naruto said cheerfully. "Let's go to class and you're not going to let Sasuke ruin your day, you hear me?"

Hikari smiled and nodded.

"I understand."


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten:**

Hikari smiled when she awoke without the sound of her alarm clock bothering her; it was Saturday. She yawned and then stretched in bed, feeling so warm and comfy that she knew she could lay around for another couple of hours if she had the time; however, she didn't, today was the day she was supposed to go to the mall with her friends.

She got up from her bed and walked towards her closet, but she changed her mind mid stride and decided she wanted to eat breakfast before she got dressed. She walked out of her bedroom door and into the living room to see Kakashi in his usual spot, spread across the couch with his nose in his book.

"Morning," she greeted as she walked towards the cupboards, starting her hunt for a box of cereal.

"Afternoon," he corrected.

"It's only twelve fifteen," Hikari said as she rolled her eyes and started to pour some kind of frosted cereal into a bowl.

"That's still after noon," Kakashi replied back in his usual monotone.

Hikari laughed as she took out the carton of milk.

"Good after noon, Kakashi," she said as she watched the liquid fill the bowl. "I told you I am going to the mall today, right?"

"I think you mentioned it," he said as he looked up at her briefly.

"Do you need anything?"

"You could stop by the grocery store on your way home tonight," Kakashi said with a shrug. "There isn't much to eat here."

"Sure, I can do that," Hikari said with a nod as she grabbed a spoon and walked to the table. "Anything in particular you want?"

"Milk," he said as he looked towards her bowl.

"Alright, I will pick up some other stuff too," Hikari said with a nod as she began to eat.

The rest of her meal, she ate in silence.

…

After showering, Hikari got dressed and did her hair; she wore a loose fitting purple baby-doll shirt with tight fitting blue-jeans. She seriously debated between what shoes to wear, but then decided she'd wear her boots when she opened her closet and saw them; she loved boots.

Once she was completely ready to go, she went to her computer and checkedher _Facebook_ to make sure that Sakura hadn't canceled; she sighed when she saw a message in her inbox.

_Hey, my friend's car broke down and I was wondering if you could pick them up at this address? I have to run an errand for my mom before hitting the mall, so I can't. I know it's probably out of the way for you, but you'd really be doing me a favour. Thanks._

Hikari stared at the address Sakura had sent her; did she want to go the other side of town just to pick up some kid for her? However, she remembered she had promised to pick up Naruto, who also lived on that side of town. Hikari was still hesitant however, because Sakura hadn't even mentioned who it was. Hikari shook her head and sighed as she began to type.

_Hi Sakura,_

_Yeah, I will pick them up. Just let them know I am coming. I have to pick up Naruto too, so I will probably get there around one thirty. _

_Hikari Koizumi_

Hikari stood up and took out her black blazer from her closet and put it on before grabbing her purse and keys; she felt the shape of the gun in her purse and wanted to punch herself, she had completely forgotten again. Hikari walked to her door and then locked it, before walking to her closet and lightly stepping on the floor boards and listening for creaking; she figured she'd check there first, because it was the most ideal spot, and she was completely shocked to find that she came in luck. There was an extremely loose piece of floor board at the back of the closet that she could lift right up; she briefly wondered if the person who had lived in this room before her had made the floor board that way; it was just a little too convenient.

Hikari grabbed her purse and tore the stitching of the fake bottom with her keys, lifting the fabric up. She removed the grey gun and made sure its safety feature was turned on. Being as quiet as possible, she lowered it beneath the floor board and set it on the beam underneath. She placed the floorboard back where she found it and then covered it with her black converse.

Hikari stood up straight and then tucked her purse under her arm before closing her closet and then exiting her room, feeling like a burden had been removed now that she had finally gotten around to doing that.

…

She picked up Naruto first because she knew where his house was; the day they went out to lunch together she gave him a ride home because Sasuke had drove him in and then left without him. Naruto would usually drive himself, but his car was in the shop.

Naruto sat in the passenger's seat next to her and was talking up a storm; like usual.

"So, who are we picking up?" Naruto asked as he put his hands behind his head and leaned back in the seat.

"No clue," Hikari said as she turned down another street, "Sakura didn't say."

"You have a nice car, Kari-chan," Naruto said as he stretched a little. "The seats are comfy."

"Thanks," she responded with a smile. "Do you mind if I play some music?"

"Nope, go for it," Naruto said as he looked out the window.

Hikari reached into her middle consul and pulled out a blue covered CD.

"Here, carefully open this and give me the album," Hikari said as she handed it to Naruto.

He inspected the cover.

"_Dark Light_ by _HIM_?"

"They're my favourite," Hikari said as she held out her hand. Naruto placed the CD in it.

She put the CD in the stereo began to blast the music the first track, Hikari began to sing along and tap her fingers on the steering wheel immediately.

"You like depressing music," he said as he looked at the stereo.

"This makes me happy," she said as she reached forwards and turned it to the next track, "but if this one is bothering you."

"This song is called '_Rip Out the Wings of a Butterfly'_, how is that any better?" Naruto asked as he looked at the back of the CD case.

Naruto and Hikari laughed at the same time.

"Alright, I will change it to my favourite track and then put in one of their more upbeat albums if it bothers you that much," Hikari said with a smile. "I'd tell you to get used to it though, I listen to pretty depressing music most of the time."

After a few more minutes of silence, and him listening to her sing along to the song she had dubbed her favourite, he smiled.

"I like hanging out with you, Kari-chan," Naruto said with a nod.

"I like hanging out with you when you're not being loud," Hikari said with a grin as she looked at him.

Hikari took out the CD and passed it to him because the song had finished.

"I'm not loud," he said loudly.

Hikari shook her head and held out her hand.

"Give me the purple one that looks like the cover is a smoking ad," Hikari said as she turned down another road.

"You're not kidding about the cover, are you?" he asked as he opened the middle consul and grabbed the CD she had asked for; it really did look as she described it. Naruto complied with her request and handed her the CD.

"Alright, this song is called _Pretending_," she said as she turned it to the fifth track, "my favourite song by them. See, I told you it was a lot more upbeat."

Naruto nodded in agreement as began to sing along to the song.

"Wow, Kari-chan, you're voice isn't that bad," Naruto said with a smile. "Do you want to be a singer?"

"Never thought about it," Hikari said with a shrug as she turned down another road. "I really do like music, but I prefer playing the cello to singing; I like having an instrument, though a lot of singers would argue that their voice is their instrument."

"Well, I think you could if you wanted!" Naruto said with a toothy grin. "I'd listen to you."

"Awe, you're sweet Naruto," Hikari said with a gentle smile.

Naruto laughed.

"Hey, this is the address," Hikari said as she pulled into the drive way of the person she was supposed to pick up.

"Uh, Hikari," Naruto said as he looked around. "This person you're supposed to pick up, I don't think you're going to like them much."

"Oh yeah, why? Do you know who lives here?" Hikari asked as she turned down the radio and then picked up her water bottle from the cup holder, taking a drink as she pressed on the horn.

"Yeah, I know them pretty well," Naruto said as he watched the black-haired teen exit the house in front of them.

Hikari glanced for them and rolled her eyes as a very audible sigh escaped her lips.

"I am going to kill Sakura…"

"Don't be like that Hikari, maybe he will be nice," Naruto said with a shrug as he watched Sasuke walk up to the car.

Hikari rolled down her tinted window.

"Get in the back," she told him as she pointed to Naruto.

Sasuke looked between them and turned around, aiming to walk back to his house.

"Where are you going, Sasuke?" Naruto shouted.

"I'm not going there with you two," Sasuke said with a roll of his eyes.

Hikari let out an unsteady breath.

"Get in the fucking car," she hissed, "I came all the way from the other side of town to do YOU a favour. Get. In. The. Car. _Now_."

Sasuke looked back at her over his shoulder at her, gauging how seriously she was with his glare. After what felt like an eternity to her, he rolled his eyes, but turned around nevertheless and got in the back seat.

Once he was in the car and buckled, Hikari shifted her car into reverse and took off again; she turned her music up so she could drown out the presence of the teen she hated most, the one who happened to be sitting the back seat of her car, looking smug as ever.

This was going to be a very long day.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven:**

"Sakura," Hikari hissed as she walked towards the girl with anger clearly reflected in her steps. She grabbed a hold of the pink-haired girl's arm and dragged her to the side. "What in your right mind made you ask _me_ to pick up that stuck-up jackass?"

"I'm sorry, Hikari," Sakura whispered as she nervously peered towards Sasuke. "The only other person who could have given him a ride was Ino, and I don't trust her around my Sasuke. I wanted you to drive him because you _hate_ him."

"That's very considerate of you," Hikari hissed as she crossed her arms.

"What's your problem?"

Hikari's eye twitched as she looked to her side and saw his stupid face. Hikari opened her mouth to speak, but Sakura quickly cut her off when she realised.

"No! No, nothing's wrong Sasuke!" Sakura urged with a large smile spread across her thin lips.

"Hikari," he said as he walked past Sakura, ignoring her, and approached the fuming girl.

She balled her fists, knowing he was purposefully trying to bother her.

"What?" she forced through her mouth, despite her jaw being so stiff.

"After we're done here, we should work on some of our projects," Sasuke said as he crossed his arms and leant against the wall beside her.

Hikari frowned; what was she supposed to say to him? 'No, Sasuke, I won't work on it with you'?

"Fine," she forced through gritted teeth.

A thought suddenly occurred to her and it made her rethink how resentful she was over the fact that she had agreed to work with him after their shopping trip. As he turned away, she suddenly smiled to herself.

"_Spending some time with the jerk without anyone else will finally give me the opportunity to demand what his problem is_..."

…

The group waited another twenty minutes and Hikari was glad they did because the Hayate brothers were late; they were in fact the last to arrive.

"Sorry, we had to wait until our mom came home," Sora said as he put his hand on the back of his neck and smiled. "My sister can't be home alone, she's only five."

Ino and Sakura studied Sora and then smiled; it was as if they had never taken notice to him before while at school or they had never laid eyes on him.

"Hi," Ino said as she brushed her long blond hair over her shoulder. "I'm Ino."

"Hey," Sora said with a friendly smile. "I'm Sora and this is my brother, Hoshi."

"My name's Sakura," she pink haired girl said as she rushed up next to Ino with a blush dusting her cheeks.

Sora smiled at her too.

"So, are you two Hikari's friends?" Sora asked as he looked towards the girl he spoke of; he gave her that certain smile he always did, the one that made her stomach do flips.

"I am," Sakura said excitedly; she was so thrilled to know that someone she thought was cute was actually talking to her in return. "Ino is my friend, I brought her."

"Well, the more the merrier," Sora said as he flashed them another smile before walking over to Hikari.

"You are such a flirt," Hikari said under her breath as she crossed her arms and huffed.

He lopsidedly smiled at her.

"What would you like to do today, Hikari?" he asked her as he smirked at his brother who currently was sighing at Sora's behavior.

"It's not just up to me," Hikari said as she looked at him, "but I think most of us girls want to go shopping for clothes; there's a dance coming up."

"Well, I could come along and tell you how everything looks," Sora said as he crossed his arms.

"Ha! Sora wants to go buy clothes with the girls!" Naruto said loudly as he pointed to the teen he spoke of.

Sora raised his brow and looked at Naruto.

"You're such an idiot, Naruto," Shikamaru spoke up from behind the blond, "he can either spend the day with us when we split up, or be the only male among a group of females."

"Oh…" Naruto said as he scratched his head.

"Hey, I never said I was planning that," Sora said as he raised his hands in the air. "I just like spending time with Hikari; she's pretty awesome."

Hikari blushed and looked away from Sora, however as she did she turned her gaze to Sasuke; he looked beyond annoyed.

"Well, are we just going to stand around here all day making fun of lover-boy or what?" Kiba asked as he crossed his arms. "Let's go do something!"

"Yeah," Hikari agreed as she turned away from Sora and began to walk. As she passed Sasuke, she realised his glare followed her.

…

"Did we really need to get food first?" Ino asked Kiba with a small glare.

"I was starving!" Kiba defended himself as he held up the cheeseburger he was eating.

Hikari chuckled lightly to herself and continued to eat the shanghai-noodles she had bought from the Chinese food vender in the food court they ate in.

She looked all around her and saw so many faces; Sora, Hoshi, Sasuke, Naruto, Kiba, Sakura, Ino, Hinata, and Tenten. She looked towards Hoshi and saw that his gaze was directed towards Tenten. Hikari smiled mischievously and took out her cellphone.

'_You're crushing pretty hard…are you sure you're gay_?' she texted.

She set her phone on the table and began to eat once again.

Hoshi's phone buzzed from his pocket and he broke out of his trance to look at it. After reading it, his eyes lifted to Hikari in an uncharacteristic frown; it was a look that said 'tell anyone, and I will hate you'. He was fast when it came to texting, he had replied in less than thirty seconds.

'_My brother already mentioned to you that I have a fan club…if they all think I'm gay, they tend to leave me alone_…'

Hikari laughed and shook her head before replying.

'_That's entirely too short-sighted_.'

Hoshi sighed when he read her reply.

'_Well if I can find a girl I like, without her trying to flaunt herself at me, I will try to go for her in private. If I actually do get a girlfriend, then the club can know_.'

Hikari smiled and then locked her phone and put it back in her purse.  
"Did you figure out my brother's little secret?" Sora whispered, his lips brushed against her ear as he did.

Hikari shivered and nodded.

Sora leaned away from her with a chuckle.

"He should learn to be more careful, right?"

"I'd say so," Hikari said with a smile as she continued to eat her food; she decided she needed to eat it fast because it was beginning to go cold.

…

Sasuke watched Sora with cold and calculating eyes; he hated him the most out of everyone at the table. Sasuke almost hated him as much as he hated his brother. Sasuke hated Sora's smile, the way he clung to Hikari, and the way Hikari smiled back.

"_You shouldn't have been such a jerk to her_," his subconscious sneered at him.

He scoffed at his own thoughts; why shouldn't he be? He didn't like her and something about her absolutely infuriated him. Every time he saw her face, he wanted to spit something that would make her disappear, that would make her leave his mind; he couldn't stop thinking about her no matter what he did.

Sasuke looked towards her and frowned when a smile stretched across her full lips, a smile directed at Sora.

Maybe he hated her because of how nice she was to everyone, because of how innocent she _tried_ to act. Or could it have been that she didn't seem to care if he liked her or not, if anything, she wasn't fazed by him at all; he was unused to that, everyone was affected by him.

He watched with angry eyes as Sora leaned towards her and whispered something in her ear, letting his lips kiss her earlobe.

"_Why do I care_?" he asked himself; he found that the more he watched, the more he wanted Sora to get lost.

He found that when he dug deep enough, he wanted to attention, her devotion. He wanted to be the one that made her blush a thousand shades of red.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and pushed his food away, losing all appetite to eat.

"_I'm only feeling like this because she's new…in a few months, she will be nothing_…"

He looked at her and saw that she was staring at Sora with sparking aubergine eyes full of affection and a large smile on her face; he felt a pang of jealousy hit his gut.

He knew right then that he didn't really want to be with her or even be her friend, he just didn't want Sora to have her.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve:**

"I want to wear red, but I think Sakura claimed it," Hikari said with a chuckle as she walked next to Hinata; she had discovered that despite Hinata being shy, she was actually really nice.

"W-Why not wear p-purple Hikari?" Hinata asked as she twiddled her fingers. "It would r-really suit your eyes."

"Well, I don't want to steal your colour either," Hikari said with a laugh. "Purple would look so good on you Hinata! Not to mention, I think Ino is going to wear something purple. I'm not sure I'd want to be one of the many wearing the colour."

"I say that you should wear red anyways," Sora said as he walked beside her. "Red looks better on you than it does on Pinkie; I feel like she should wear pink for some reason."

Hikari laughed at his sarcasm.

"Pink with a small accent of green to match her eyes," she agreed. "I wish she'd only listen to me."

"Where did they go anyways?" Sora asked as he looked around the mall, not seeing the girls anywhere.

"I think they s-said something about g-going to the bra store, Sora-kun," Hinata spoke up with a blush tainting her pale cheeks.

"I can see why Ino and Tenten want to go, but I don't think any store would carry something small enough for Sakura," Hikari said with a small chuckle.

Sora burst out laughing and Hinata looked embarrassed.

"Oops…I didn't say that, okay?" Hikari said with a sheepish smile. "I'm trying not to be so rude all the time."

"I call it brutal honesty," Sora said with a smile.

"I wish, whenever I try to tell someone that, they just say I am making up excuses for being rude all the time," Hikari said as she crossed her arms. "I can't help it, I speak and it just comes out before I can stop myself…"

"I think y-you're nice, Hikari-san," Hinata said nervously.

"Awe thanks, I think you're nice too," Hikari said with a smile as she looked down at the girl. "Oh! Look at the clothes in that shop, here lets go."

As they looked at the variety of colourful clothing, Hikari decided upon something important; she didn't think Hinata should wear purple anymore.

"Hey, Hinata!" Hikari said as she rushed towards the dark haired girl with a dress clutched in her hand. "Look at this blue dress!"

Hinata turned and found that Hikari was already holding it up to her figure.

"You'd look so good in this Hinata! You wouldn't really be in season, but it would look so good," Hikari said with a smile. "The dark blue would really accent your eyes and your skin."

"Y-You think so, Hikari?" Hinata asked as she gazed at the very nice spring dress Hikari held.

"Also, the butterflies on the bottom of the dress are purple, so it would look awesome! Not to mention it has a small V-neck, so you'd show off the shape of your chest contrary to usual."

Hinata blushed one thousand shades of red.

"You really like clothes, don't you, H-Hikari?"

"I love shopping," Hikari admitted. "I already have my outfit, but I'm not sure if I am going to actually go to the dance…I HATE social events like that; there are always way too many people and it's always way too hot."

"I like the dress, Hikari," Hinata said timidly, "will y-you give me your o-opinion if I try it on?"

"Sure," Hikari said with a smile, "that's what I am hear for, right?"

Sora smiled as he looked at the clothes Hikari had in a bag; she must have already bought them.

"You're a speedy shopper," Sora said as he waited with Hikari while Hinata tried on the dress.

"Yeah, once I make my mind up, I rarely change it," Hikari said sheepishly. "Maybe I will get a new pair of shoes too."

"You weren't lying when you said you love shopping, were you?"

"Nope, I like buying clothes and shoes a lot," Hikari said with a laugh. "Have you gotten anything?"

"Nah, I'm just going to wear something I already have," Sora said with a shrug.

Hikari looked at him and her brow twitched.

"After we're done here, we're dragging you to the nearest men's clothing store…"

"W-Why?"

"Because I want to pick out clothes for you," Hikari said with a cheery smile.

Sora sighed.

"Well, this is going to dent my wallet isn't it?"

"Only if you let me," Hikari said playfully. "If you like, because you're my friend, I could pay for some stuff."

Sora looked at Hikari with a gentle smile.

"I could never take your money, Hikari," he said softly. "It would feel weird."

"Because I'm a girl?" Hikari asked with a raised brow as she crossed her arms.

"No, because I don't want you to think I'm only your friend because of your disposable income," he said as he grabbed her free hand and squeezed it. "I want you to believe I'm your friend because I like you."

Hikari was taken aback and couldn't think of the right words to say. Her eyes fell to the hand Sora was holding and then lifted to his eyes. Right when she opened her mouth to speak, Hinata opened the change room door and then Hikari jerked her hand away.

Sora looked disappointed, she could see it in his eyes; in all honesty, Hikari wasn't sure why she reacted that way. It was like she felt like she shouldn't be that close to him, like getting caught holding his hand would get her into trouble. She shook the thoughts out of her head and smiled at Hinata.

"That looks really great," she said with a friendly smile, "perfect even."

"You think so?" Hinata asked shyly.

"Hikari's right, it makes you look great Hinata-chan," Sora said with a friendly smile as he tore his eyes away from Hikari who had turned away from him.

Hinata blushed and looked away from him.

"O-Okay, I will buy this one then," she said as she walked back into the change room.

…

"Hinata, you have to help me find something causal, but with a dressy twist for Sora. Maybe a dress shirt, vest, and jeans," Hikari said excitedly as she walked into the men's clothing store. "Oh! A fedora too!"

"Okay, H-Hikari-san," Hinata said with a small smile.

"Do I have to wear a hat?" he asked with a sigh.

"Yes," Hikari said as she crossed her arms. "It will make you look good."

"But I don't like hats…they ruin my hair," Sora said with a sigh.

"Fine, no hat," Hikari said with a huff.

Just as she was about the go further into the store, Ino, Sakura, and Tenten returned.

"Hey guys!" Tenten said with a smile. "Did you get anything?"

"Yeah, Hinata and I got something to wear," Hikari said with a nod. "Now we're shopping for Sora."

"What about this?" Ino asked as she picked up a blue dress shirt and held it up to Sora. "I heard what you were saying to Hinata, what about this colour?"

"That would look great on you, Sora," Hikari said with a smile. "The baby-blue colour really matches your eyes. "Just a black vest over it would look great."

"Especially if he rolled up the sleeves of the shirt," Ino agreed with a smile.

"I have jeans I can wear," Sora said with a sigh as he watched them shop. "I don't need those."

"Fine, you can wear your old jeans," Hikari said as she took a vest off a clothing rack. "This one?"

"Oh, I like that one," Sakura said with a smile.

"Okay, this one," Hikari said as she grabbed the shirt from Ino. "Try them on, Sora."

Sora took the clothes from them and then headed into the change room.

"Oh, try on this tie too, Sora!" Ino said as she rushed to the door he had disappeared behind and threw the black coloured article over it.

"Okay," he said through the door.

"So, Hikari, how did you meet Sora?" Sakura asked as she watched the door Sora was behind.

"English class," she said with a shrug.

"He's in our English class?"

"Yeah, he sits next to me," Hikari said with a smile as she shook her head. "You really do spend all your time watching Sasuke, don't you?"

Sakura blushed.

"I sit right next to him…am I that obvious?"

"He's all you ever talk about," Hikari said as she crossed her arms, "you and Ino both."

"Alright girls, how does this look?" Sora asked as he stepped out of the room.

Hikari looked him up and down with a smile on her lips.

"Very handsome," she said in a teasing tone. "I love the blue; it looks really great with your eyes."

"I agree," Ino said with a little bit of a squeal. "It's official, you need that outfit!"

Hikari looked over her shoulder to see Tenten and Hinata's reaction, but saw they weren't paying attention, they were chatting to themselves quietly.

"Yes, buy it," Hikari said as she pushed him back in the room.

It took far less time for Sora to take off the clothes than to put them on, it what seemed like half the time he had come out of the room again, dressed normally.

"Let's got pay then," Hikari said with a smile.

Sora reached into his back pocket and took out his black leather wallet and walked with them to the cash register.

"One-hundred and five dollars and nighty-six cents," the girl said after she rang the items up. "Cash, credit card, or debit?"

"Debit," Sora said as he took out the card with a sigh; how was it that three articles of clothing ended up costing a hundred dollars?

After Sora paid, he turned around to see Hikari chatting animatedly with Sakura and Tenten; the way she smiled made his heart beat a little faster. He had only known her for a week, but he was completely ensnared by her.

"_Gosh, that girl…_"

Sora shook his head and began to follow the group. They walked out of the shop, planning to look around more, only to be interrupted by the guys who had gone to some other store.

"Oh, there they are," Tenten said with a smile.

"So, where to next?"

"It doesn't matter," Sasuke said as he crossed his arms and looked her way. "You and I have to go."

"Excuse me?" Hikari asked with a frown. "You don't get to tell me what I do and don't do."

"I just got a call," Sasuke said holding up his phone. "I need to get home and you're my ride; besides, we need to work on our projects."

Hikari rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. With a sigh she turned to Sora and smiled.

"I'll see you later," she said as she gave him a hug. "I have to go suffer my punishment now."

Sasuke crossed his arms as he turned around and began to walk towards the exit.

"Bye, Hikari," Sora said as he pulled away from her. "I had a great time today."

Hikari nodded and then turned to the girls behind her.

"It was nice meeting you, Hinata, Tenten," Hikari said with a friendly smile. "We should all hang out again, bye guys."

"Yeah, definitely," Sakura said as she waved.

Hikari sighed and turned around, beginning to follow Sasuke out of the mall. Just then, Naruto walked around a corner out of another store, carrying a mountain of stuff.

"Oh, Naruto, I have to leave," Hikari said as she stopped in front of him and tried to peer into the bags; she saw a game system, clothes, a ton of useless items, and a pile of video games.

"Well, I'm not ready to go home yet," he said with a smile. "I'll get Kiba or someone to drive me home."

"Alright, have a good day," Hikari said with a final smile before following Sasuke again.

"Oi, Kiba! Help me with these bags!"

If Hikari was positive about anything after seeing Naruto, it was that he was one of those kids her father asked her to look out for and his parents must be loaded; now all she had to do was find out just how much money he had and then let her father figure out how to steal it.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen:**

The ride back to Sasuke's house was awkward, but it wasn't terrible; Sasuke had yet to say anything rude to Hikari. The last thing she wanted to do was break down and cry in front of him; he would never allow her to live that down.

"So, how long do you want to work on this?" Hikari asked a she pulled into his driveway, behind two cars, and shut off the engine of her own. She got out of the car and following Sasuke up the driveway, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her blazer, before he answered.

"As long as it takes," Sasuke said quietly. "We should start on the duet for music class."

"Alright, I didn't bring my cello today though," she said with a frown.

"You can use the one in stored in our garage," Sasuke said as he opened the door and entered the house. "We were actually going to get rid of it, so you're in luck."

"We?" she asked with a raised brow as she followed him inside of his home as he stepped aside to let her in, but didn't answer her question.

The house was modest, middle class; Sasuke wasn't wealthy, but he was not poor either. Hikari could guess from its size that it was just a two bedroom.

"Nice place," she said as she looked around and admired the dark coloured walls and furniture.

Sasuke did not reply, instead he took off his shoes. Hikari followed his lead by unzipping her heeled boots and taking them off, revealing her jean-clad calves underneath.

"That feels so much better," Hikari said with a smile as she rubbed her foot through her sock. "I love my heels, but they kill my feet."

"Sasuke, is that you?"

Hikari raised her brow and looked up to see a young adult male stroll into the entryway. His ebony hair was held in a loose ponytail behind his head and, like Sasuke, he had impossibly dark onyx coloured eyes.

"_I guess that's who 'we' is_," Hikari thought as she studied his face; something about his exterior sent shivers down her spine and not in the good way. "_I wonder if he's his uncle or brother. No one's ever mentioned Sasuke having relatives who lived with him, though_."

"Who is this?" the man asked as his eyes shifted to Hikari; he made the air stick in her throat as he held her gaze with his own captivating one. Hikari felt like she was a deer caught in headlights; whoever he was, he _creeped_ her out.

She noticed Sasuke's expression had gone from indifferent to pissed as soon as the man had entered the room; there was some kind of tension there, she could _feel_ it.

"She's just someone I have to work on a project with," Sasuke said stiffly.

"I'm Sasuke's older brother, Itachi," he said as he held out his hand to her.

Hikari's eyes fell to his hand and she was unsure if she would be able to move to shake it under his gaze; however her body moved on its own accord, as if he was a puppeteer making her obey his will, and he shook her hand with a firm grasp.

"Hikari Koizumi," she muttered, surprising herself again when she spoke.

"Let's go," Sasuke said as he walked towards the stairs; Hikari was, for once, thankful to hear his voice. She swooped around Itachi, heading towards the stairs that Sasuke was walking up. She looked over her shoulder and saw that Itachi had turned and was now watching them go. She bit her lip and looked back towards Sasuke.

At the top of the stairs a door sat, and Sasuke passed through it to enter a hallway. On either side, another two doors stood. Sasuke went through the left one. Hikari followed him and was pleasantly surprised by how nice his room was; his walls were dark blue and the bed spread on his full-sized bed matched. Under the window on the side of the room, he had a desk with a laptop set up on it. At the back of the room, he had a small two seat black leather couch set up in front of a TV with a PS3 connected to it.

"Nice room," Hikari said looking around with a smile. "I didn't really know what to expect coming here with you, but it wasn't this."

Sasuke looked at her and crossed his arms as he nodded. Hikari heard the door that connected to the stairs open and close. Before Itachi could even get in their vision, Sasuke closed his door with a scowl on his face.

"Uh, so that cello," Hikari said as she shifted uncomfortably. "Do you play?"

"It was my mothers," Sasuke said as he walked towards his bed and sat down.

"Oh," Hikari said as she looked at her feet; she understood what he meant when he said 'was', she didn't need to confirm her suspicions of his mother's death based on the expression that sat on his face. "I'll be very careful with it then."

For the next couple of minutes, the two teens simply stared at each other, both of them not knowing what to do next. Hikari knew Sasuke would not make any sort of move to start; he was not the kind of person the engage in any form of conversation first. She sighed as she walked to his bed and sat down next to him.

"Look, I know we don't like each other," Hikari said as she leant forwards and rested her forearms on her lap; her eyes rested on the window in front of his desk, "however, regardless of what we feel for each other, when we're doing this project those feelings stay outside. I want to get a good mark in my classes and I'm sure you don't want to fail. Let just put everything behind us when we're working." Hikari turned her gaze to Sasuke, he didn't make a move to speak; instead he crossed his arms and nodded his head. "Alright," Hikari said as she released the breath she didn't notice she was holding, "a fusion of cello and electric guitar; this is going to be difficult. If it is well thought out it will be awesome, however if it's not, the piece will suffer."

"Before we go to instruments we should think about what kind of sound we want," Sasuke said quietly as he nodded in agreement with her statement.

"Obviously, we want a fusion of the sound, however, we want small solos as well," Hikari said as she crossed her arms and let herself fall back on the bed so she was looking at his ceiling. "Do we want to do something mellow that will impress Ms. Yuhi?"

"Why?"

"Well, I don't know," Hikari said awkwardly. "My tastes are a little heavy…if it was up to me we'd be doing a melodic-metal piece."

Suddenly, something hit Hikari in the side and she let out a groan in protest.

"Ow," she said as she felt for whatever it was and found an iPod, Sasuke's iPod. She looked at it and then looked at Sasuke. With a roll of her eyes she unravelled the headphones and then turned it on. After a moment, she looked through Sasuke's music to see that his tastes would not clash with her own. As she looked through it, she felt his hand in her pocket. "What are you doing?"

"Putting my number in your phone so we can keep in contact for this project," Sasuke replied in his usual indifferent tone. After a moment, he put it back and Hikari shut off his iPod.

"Well, this is a surprise," Hikari said as she tossed the iPod back at him. "I didn't expect you to have good music tastes."

"Che."

"Alright, I have an idea then," Hikari said as she stood to her feet and stretched. "Show me to the cello."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and stood, exiting the room and leading her downstairs. Instead of going out the front door, he turned and led her through his living area and then into his kitchen. He went out a side door and Hikari found herself in his garage. She could tell by the look of it that it was where Sasuke practiced; it was furnished with a small couch and some chairs, a table with a lot of composition sheets spread un-orderly onto its surface, and there was three different guitars resting in their stands next to an amp.

"You play electric, bass, and acoustic?" Hikari asked as she walked towards them. "I always wanted to play a guitar but never really got the opportunity to try."

"Yeah," Sasuke answered as he followed her. "I play all three."

"Now, where is this cello?" Hikari said as she clapped her hands together with a light smile playing on her lips.

Sasuke walked past her and to the back of the garage. He stopped in front of a large cabinet that looked as if it was built into the wall. As he opened it, Hikari saw that it was mostly used for storage. He took out a large case that was lying on the bottom shelf and held it out for her to take. Hikari rushed over and took the cello.

"Thanks," she said as she brought it over to the sitting area. "Now I am going to have to tune this by ear, so it might not be perfectly accurate; I'm usually pretty good at it however, so it should be close."

Hikari took the instrument out of the case and sat with it between her legs; she could tell by the way it felt in her hands and against her body that it was a 4/4 cello. She took out the bow and played the A string and frowned when it played entirely too flat.

"Okay, I have to use the tuning peg to adjust this," Hikari uttered as she stood and turned the peg for the 'A' string very lightly, being very cautious not to break it. Hikari plucked at the string and shook her head, turning the peg ever so slightly again. She plucked it again and nodded, sitting down and using her bow to play the string. She reached down and tightened the fine tuner a little. She played the string again and then was satisfied.

Next Hikari went onto the 'D' string; it too was flat. She sighed and began to tune the peg again, plucking at the string with every small turn.

"This cello is very out of tune," Hikari said as she played the string. She adjusted the fine tuner and then played the note again.

"There has not been anyone here to play it for a long time," Sasuke said bitterly.

Hikari frowned and bit her lip; she hadn't meant to sound like she was complaining, she had meant to imply that he should take better care of such an expensive instrument, even if his mother had played one of the relatively cheaper cellos.

"Sorry," she said quietly as she moved on to tune the 'G'. "I was just saying that you might want to take better care of it because it was your mothers."

Hikari realised too late she had let the wrong sentence slip from her lips, she could practically feel the anger he was radiating.

"What do you know, huh?" Sasuke snarled at her. "You have no idea what it's like!"

Hikari frowned and tuned the 'C' string without responding, her mood darkening; he was obviously the person who was ignorant, she knew exactly what it was like. He had not heard her tell Naruto at the lunch table that her parents had died?

After she finished tuning, she put the cello back in its case and stood up.

"On the contrary," she said with a frown, "I know exactly what it is like to lose a mother. I was only ten and she was taken away from me when I needed her most." Hikari turned towards him and narrowed her eyes. "Don't act like you're the only person who knows the pain of losing their parents, because you certainly are not. I was only commenting because, as a fellow cello player, I know the feeling of watching someone abuse a perfectly good instrument; I was simply suggesting that maybe you should take care of something your mother probably held really dear. But then again, maybe you didn't really care for your mother, so why would you care about her cello?"

Silence fell around them and again, Hikari knew she had let her mouth get the better of her.

"Get out," he said as he curled his fists.

"Gladly," she spat as she turned around and yanked open the door. "You need to get off your high horse, not everyone is out to get you."

She slammed the door behind her and exited the house in a hurry, grabbing her boots on her way out. She got into her car, not bothering to put on her shoes and sped out of his driveway, eager to get away from him; the sad thing was that for an hour, she thought they could be friends.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen:**

Sunday passed quickly for Hikari, she had spent most of the day playing her cello out of anger. She didn't know if she should have been more upset herself or Sasuke; she couldn't believe she had lectured him on how he should grieve his mother.

"Hey, I got those groceries because you never stopped at the store yesterday," Kakashi said as he popped his head into her room, "you seemed pretty upset so I didn't want to say anything."

"I'm sorry about that," Hikari said as she stopped playing and shook her head. "Uchiha pissed me off and I came home in a hurry."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she answered with a frown. Hikari sighed and then ran her hand through her hair after setting the bow of her instrument down. "I have no idea how I am going to be able to do this."

"Well, you're going to have to figure it out," Kakashi told her as he crossed his arms. "It's just a year; push yourself through it thinking about that. The time will eventually pass."

Hikari put her cello on its stand and then got up, stretching after she did.

"Dinner's already done, come on," he said as he turned and walked away.

Hikari nodded and followed him.

…

Hikari refused to eat at the lunch table because of Sasuke; she didn't even want to think about the things he'd say about her in front of everyone if she did. She was perfectly fine with eating her lunch on the stone steps of the school's entryway, alone and isolated. She never told Sora, Hoshi, or Naruto where she was going; she just wanted to be alone and work on ideas for the music piece her and Sasuke were supposed to miraculously create together.

"_I have to stop being so anti-social_," she told herself as she ate her sandwich, "_it's not right for the kind of person I'm trying to be._" Hikari sighed and then set her lunch down in its bag. She looked up at the school and then stood, picking up her lunch and going back inside.

Hikari bravely walked into the cafeteria and then sat next to Sasuke, reclaiming her old seat. He glared at her from his peripheral vision and she was apathetic.

"Kari-chan," Naruto said with a grin as he watched her take her lunch out from its bag, "you came back!"

"I did," she said with a smile. "Hey everyone."

Everyone at the table gave her a smile, or at least a nod to acknowledge her, except for Sasuke; she knew that when it came to him, she'd have to either just forget him or work hard for his interest. She wasn't too keen on either option.

…

The rest of week passed in a blur for Hikari. Sasuke had not attempted to work with her even once on the piece or any project for that matter. Hikari was beginning to grow nervous because they had a project due next week in English that they had not started. She was so angry about him ignoring her that she had set a ringtone to his number; any time he'd call her she'd know because her phone would burst the song '_Pretty On the Outside_' by _Bullet For My Valentine_.

"Maybe I should just do it myself and send Sasuke a copy?" she asked herself with a frown as she bit her lip and scrolled through her _Facebook_. "Would he be angry if I did that?"

Hikari sighed and shook her head.

"What am I going to do?"

She jumped when her cell phone began to ring.

"Hello?" she asked as she hit the talk button.

"Hey," Sora's voice floated through the speaker. "Are you busy?"

"Kind of," Hikari said honestly, "I'm not sure…"

"You're not sure?"

"Well, Sasuke and I haven't started our project for English; you know the one you're working with your brother on?" Hikari asked as she twirled a piece of her hair absentmindedly.

"You haven't started?" Sora asked seriously.

"No, he won't speak to me," Hikari said with a shrug. "I don't know if I should just do it myself and email him a copy."

"I wouldn't do it yourself," Sora said with a sigh, "if you do that and just let him take credit, they consider it cheating."

"Well then, I am screwed," Hikari said with exasperation in her tone.

"Look, why don't you do something to take your mind off of it for a bit?" Sora suggested.

"Like what?"

"Well, I know it's late, but I'm right outside your house…why not come for a walk with me?"

Hikari stood up and looked out her window, but realised she couldn't see the front of the house.

"Sure, I'll be right out," she said through the phone before hanging up.

Hikari rushed out her bedroom, grabbing her hoodie as she did, putting her phone in her pocket, and then sliding on her sandals at the door. She exited the house and smiled when he was really standing in front of her house.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked with a smile.

"I was on my way to the park," Sora explained with a shrug. "Sometimes I like to take walks at night in the park because it's really quiet out."

"Makes you sound like a creep," Hikari said with a light chuckle. She looked down at her black tank top and red sleeping bottoms with a frown. "Sorry about being in my pajamas."

"It's not a problem," Sora said as he scratched the back of his head, "you always look beautiful."

Hikari blushed as he snaked his arm around hers and began to lead her down the road. They walked in silence, but the fact that Sora was so close was making her mind hectic with thoughts. She tried to sneak peeks at his face without him knowing, but it was difficult because he was trying to do the same thing. A half an hour walk to the park seemed to only take minutes in the suspense she was feeling.

…

Sasuke quietly played his guitar from the bench he sat on; staying at home with Itachi around would have ruined his mood and he was trying to focus on a specific feeling for the piece he was creating, something that had nothing to do with his brother.

He was disrupted yet again when he heard her laugh; it was like she was always inside of his head. Her voice, her laugh, her smile; he could picture them all clearly if he just closed his eyes, it was so _frustrating_. He sighed and set his guitar in its case, wondering when she'd leave his head this time. He heard her again, but this time he also heard another voice. Sasuke frowned as he peered through the trees that surrounded the particular bench he sat on. He watched as she and Sora walked past the little pathway to where he was and scowled; she wasn't in his head, she was here with _him._ Sasuke continued to watch them, knowing that he could see them and they weren't paying attention to him, they had already passed him. Sora sat down on a bench and patted the area next to him and Hikari took the seat next to him without complaint.

"Look, Hikari I wanted to tell you something," Sora spoke up clearly.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"What is it?"

Sora did not answer at first, instead he moved a little closer to her.

"You're really amazing, do you know that?"

Sasuke could practically see the blush on her face.

"Any guy is crazy to pass up on someone so beautiful and who also has a great personality," Sora said a little quieter. "I don't want to pass you up, Hikari."

Sora drew a little closer to her and Sasuke knew instantly what he was up to; before he could stop himself he reached into his pocket and took out his phone.

…

"Look, Hikari I want to tell you something," Sora said as he looked her directly in the eyes; she felt butterflies take off in her stomach.

"What is it?" she asked shyly.

Sora took her hand in his and brought himself a little closer to her, making her feel trapped; but strangely the sensation didn't make her uneasy, it filled her body with excitement.

"You're really amazing, do you know that?" he asked her as his eyes bored into her own.

Hikari's cheeks heated and reflected her feelings more than she thought was possible. Her mind was rushing with all kinds of thoughts, but the most predominate one was the one that screamed about how hard her heart was beating in her chest.

"Any guy is crazy to pass up on someone so beautiful and who also has a great personality," Sora said quietly as he cupped her cheek with his free hand. "I don't want to pass up on you, Hikari."

Hikari's breath hitched in her throat he lowered his face towards hers, she could feel his warm breath fan across her lips; she felt like her heart was going to stop. He was less than a millimetre away and Hikari didn't think she could become any more impatient.

'_I want to know! I want to know! If I tear you open wide, take a look inside, are you pretty? Can I get inside your mind, see what I can find, are you pretty? So, just take off that disguise, everyone knows that you're only pretty on the outside!_'

Hikari jumped out of her skin when her phone blared and Sora jerked away from her; she knew in that instant that the mood was completely killed and her first kiss was ruined. She glared at her phone and Sasuke's numbed as she hit the talk button and then brought the receiver to her ear.

"_What_?" she barked.

"Attitude," Sasuke's voice floated through the phone; to Hikari it sounded amused, as if he _knew_ what he had just fucked up.

"You're always out to get me, aren't you?" she snarled.

"What are you talking about? You sound crazier than usual, if that's possible," Sasuke said smugly. "Look, we have a project due in a week, we should just move past our little spat and get back to working."

"Whatever," Hikari said with a roll of her eyes; of all the times he could have called to say that, he just _had _to choose when she didn't want him too. "Fine, when?"

Sora sighed from beside her and leaned back against the bench.

"Tomorrow after school, ride in with Kakashi, we will practice at my house."

"Okay, bye," she said as she pulled the phone from her ear and hung up. "The nerve of that guy..." Hikari lifted her eyes to Sora's and then dropped them again. "I had better go," she said quietly as she stood up and walked away in a hurry.

Sora watched as she disappeared, it didn't take her long to get away.

"Trust Uchiha to ruin everything," Sora muttered bitterly after a few minutes of silence.

He forced himself up and began to walk the way Hikari had gone. After a little while, his eyes were drawn to a path he had never seen before. A scowl instantly took over his lips when he saw Sasuke sitting on a bench in the middle of a clearing, putting his guitar away. After a moment he looked up at Sora and he smirked. Sasuke stood and walked past Sora, turning the opposite way. Sora realised in that moment that Sasuke was not just someone he hated, he was also his competition.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen:**

"Alright class, please take out your copies of _Hamlet_," Kakashi said as he flipped open the script.

Hikari began to dig into her bag, but her stomach dropped when she realised that her book was nowhere to be found; she must have forgot it in her room. She nervously glanced at Kakashi and swallowed; he really disliked it when students forgot their texts because the students never seemed to return the ones they would borrow for the day.

"Forgot your book?"

Seating in her English class had begun to work differently, Kakashi had arranged the seats according to presentation groups instead of his original seating plan; for the next two weeks she would be sitting next to Sasuke. She wished Kakashi would let her sit next to Sora, she desperately wanted to know exactly_ what_ had happened night before; did Sora like her? Was it a total impulse of the moment? Was he confused? Was he angry because he didn't get to kiss her? Hikari peeked his way and saw he was completely engrossed in the play.

"Are you going to answer me or sit there looking like a lost puppy while you ogle Hayate?" Sasuke sneered.

Hikari snapped her head towards him and gave him the worst possible glare she could muster.

"Yes, I have forgotten my book," she snapped, "and I was _not_ gawking at him!"

Ignoring her outburst, Sasuke slid his copy of the text in between them and then said, "Here, we can share mine."

Hikari was taken aback and it forced her to swallow her initial irritation with him; Sasuke had just done something one could consider pleasant, and he had done it to Hikari. Everyone knew that they hated each other, so naturally she was completely confused; she wasn't sure how much longer she could take his bipolar attitude.

"O-Oh, thanks," she said as she looked down at the second scene of the first act, dropping her thoughts for the moment.

Sasuke nodded at her.

"Okay, can anyone tell me what happened in this scene?" Kakashi asked as he looked around the room. "I know Shakespeare can be difficult for some readers."

Hikari looked around the room and saw Sora's hand hit the air. She hesitantly raised her own as well.

"Hikari?"

"Well, in this scene Hamlet is angsting over the fact that his mother has fled to his uncle's bed and married Claudius very quickly, despite the King only dying a month before," Hikari said as she looked down at the text. "He says '_O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason would have mourn'd longer, -married with my uncle, my father's brother, but no more like my father than I to Hercules: within a month, ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears had left the flushing in her galled eyes. She married; O most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets!_'"

"Yes, that's exactly right," Kakashi said as he looked around the room. "Can anyone tell me what these feelings might stir within Hamlet?" Kakashi pointed to Sora as he raised his hand.

"Well, that would make him feel a sense of revenge against his Uncle," Sora explained as he looked down at the text, "we know he doesn't think of the marriage in a positive way because of the excerpt Hikari read. By saying things like '_unrighteous tears,' 'wicked speed,' _and '_incestuous sheets'_ we know he doesn't approve in the least. It will inspire ill feelings of hatred to grow within Hamlet."

"Very good, it seems like two people in the class have a grip of the play," Kakashi said as he set the book down. "I want the rest of act one read by Monday, take the last five minutes of class to start."

Hikari reached forwards to turn to the next scene and her hand brushed against Sasuke's; he must have been planning to do the same thing. The connection caused a shock run through her arm and pulled back her hand quite forcefully as her eyes widened. Their eyes met and Sasuke _smirked_ at her.

"Are you okay?"

She blinked and didn't really know what to say; Sasuke Uchiha had just smirked at her. They had been fighting all week, they hated each other, they couldn't stand each other's presence and he had just _smirked_ at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied as she cleared her throat and looked down at the text again and began to read the third scene.

Sasuke leaned towards her so he could see as well, but she felt like he was unnecessarily close, like he was purposefully making his warm breath tickle her neck. She swallowed and began to feel nervous and lose concentration of the text. She wanted to cheer when the bell rang. Hikari quickly jumped up from her seat and gathered her things. Before she could leave their desks, Sasuke grabbed her wrist.

"You're coming to lunch, right?"

Now Hikari really was at a loss for words.

"E-Excuse me?" she asked weakly.

"You're going to eat in the cafeteria."

It didn't sound like a request or a question, no Hikari was sure that Sasuke was _demanding _her presence.

"Uh, sure," she uttered as she pulled her hand away. "I-I have to go right now, though. Uh, I have to go get stuff."

"Stuff?" he asked with his brow raised.

"Stuff," she reassured him before turning away and darted out of the classroom.

Sora remained behind and watched Sasuke with a tension very obviously set into his jaw. Sasuke smirked and stood, walking past Sora and letting him know with his eyes just who was winning this little battle they had started. Sora balled his fists and watched as Sasuke exited the room with angry eyes.

…

"Calm down Sora, you're not helping yourself," his brother told them as they ate lunch. The two brothers always ate at the table that was across the cafeteria from the table Hikari usually ate at.

"That bastard is doing this on purpose," Sora spit as he threw his fork down onto the table.

"I think you're overreacting," Hoshi said calmly as he ate the pasta on the tray he had been served.

"He's doing this because he hates me," Sora said as he glared towards Sasuke. "Look at him, sitting there showing Hikari music on his iPod and talking about their project all friendly like; it makes me sick."

"Just let it go, Sora…" Hoshi said with a sigh as he shook his head. "Seriously, all you're doing is working yourself up over something you have no control over."

"I mean, he doesn't even like her!" Sora said as he gestured towards Sasuke. "He hates her and treats her like trash. Why is she even talking to him?"

Hoshi looked towards Sasuke and Hikari and analysed their behavior; he could tell that Sasuke was using the charm he knew he had and Hikari was trying to compete with him. Unlike what his brother saw, Hoshi recognised a fierce battle of will between the two teens; they were seeing who was going to crack first.

"Have you ever considered that maybe she is playing nice because twenty-five percent of her final mark depends on his cooperation?" Hoshi asked with a raised brow. "What would you do?"

"I'd fail if it meant I dragged him down with me," Sora said bitterly.

"Well apparently you have learned nothing from all the time you have spent with Hikari," Hoshi said as he crossed his arms. "Think about her personality for a minute…tell me what she's like."

"She's determined, witty, intelligent, driven, and very nice," Sora said as he watched her with longing eyes. "She is perfect."

"Hikari is also a high achiever, you can see it in everything she does; she is a borderline perfectionist," Hoshi said as he looked towards the inky-haired girl they spoke of. "She approaches everything with caution, but strives to do well; failing is not an option for her. Hell, getting a bad mark on the duet project itself is not an option. Failing her own expectations of herself is not even an option…you can see it in the way she carries herself; she's probably had to rely on herself a lot in the past."

"You need to take a break studying psychology," Sora said with a roll of his eyes. "You over analyze everything."

"You have yet to tell me I am wrong," Hoshi said as he finished eating his food. "Just leave her be, you can tell by the way she positions herself around you that she has a thing for you."

"Really?" Sora asked in an excited tone as he looked at his brother.

"Yeah, really subtle signs show it," Hoshi said with a yawn.

"Like what?" Sora pressed.

"You want to know?" Hoshi asked as he leaned back in his chair.

"Obviously," Sora retorted.

"Give me twenty bucks and I will tell you."

"Deal," Sora said as he reached into his pocket and gave his brother the money.

Hoshi smiled and slid the twenty dollar bill in his pocket.

"Alright, she flips her hair around you a lot for starters," Hoshi said as he looked towards her, "she always smiles around you, she thinks you're funny, and she hugs you."

"For some reason I feel like I just got ripped off…"

"Nope, I know these things."

"Yeah, sure, whatever…"

…

"Come on, Koizumi, stop standing around and get in the car," Sasuke said as he leaned across his seats and opened the passenger's door for her.

Hikari raised her brow and looked at his car; it definitely was second-hand from somewhere, it was a pretty old car, but it was still in mint-condition; no dents, scuffs, stains, or rust. She was unsure if she had ever sat in a used car before and was a little squeamish to know that she had no idea as to what could have gone down in that passenger's seat. Hikari swallowed her hesitation and got in his car. The smell of his cologne was strong, but she liked it; it smelled like Sasuke and Sasuke smelled good, something she would only ever admit to herself.

Hikari looked at him and gave him a small smile as she closed her door and put on her seatbelt. Sasuke didn't smile back, but he didn't look annoyed or indifferent either; Hikari took that as a sign that he was in a positive mood. Her eyes swept across the interior of the car and it made her wonder if Sasuke really fit into the group her father was looking for. She found herself hoping he didn't, because she felt like his life was hard enough; she knew both of his parents had died in a tragic car accident and his brother had managed to survive, courtesy of Sakura. She looked around the car again and decided he was not what her father was interested in.

"_Even if he does prove to be…I won't tell my father about the Uchiha. It would only be cruel_."


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen:**

"It's nice to see you again," Itachi said to Hikari as she stood in the mudroom of the Uchiha home.

"Yes, it's my pleasure," she said as she nervously shifted her weight to her other foot and then tried to give him a smile; although she felt like she had failed. "Sorry about leaving in such a rush the other day…I had something to attend to."

"Well, I know my brother can be a handful," Itachi said as he looked towards Sasuke who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, ignoring his brother's existence and the conversation in general. Itachi looked back at Hikari and gave her that _look_ again; the one that made goose-bumps appear on her arms. "I hope he didn't say anything too offensive."

"N-No, it's like I said," Hikari said quickly, "I had things to attend to."

"Come on," Sasuke said forcefully as he stepped away from the wall and grabbed Hikari by the arm, "we have work we need to get done."

Hikari allowed him to drag her along and gave Itachi one last hesitant smile before finding herself in the garage of their home again.

"I'm sorry I didn't lug my cello to school," Hikari told him as she set her sights on the room again.

"It's alright, you can play my mother's," Sasuke said as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I changed the strings on it and then wiped it down to get all the dust off; all you have to do is tune it again."

Hikari looked towards the playing area and spotted the cello that rested on a stand. She smiled; it looked like a different instrument compared to when she saw it last. The cello in front of her was an instrument to be proud of; clean, shining, and healthy looking. Perhaps the king of indifference had taken her advice in the end despite the fact that she had so rudely disrespected him.

"It looks great, Sasuke," she said as she turned to him with the smile the sight had put onto her lips. "I think I was wrong about you." Hikari reached into her bag and pulled out an electronic device. "I bought this for you."

"For me?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow. "That's a tuner for a cello; isn't it for you?"

"No," Hikari said with a small laugh. "I thought about what I said and I realised I could not judge you because you don't even know how to tune a cello…however, if I give you this, you have no excuse."

Sasuke sighed.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Hikari asked, taken aback by his question. "It belonged to your mother…it's important."

"I feel like you are projecting on me," Sasuke said as he folded his arms.

"Even if I was, it's personal," Hikari said as she looked away from him.

"And anything to do with my mother isn't?" he asked as he raised his brow. "You seem to have a lot of double standards, Koizumi."

"Look, I started playing cello after my mother died," Hikari said through gritted teeth. "She played cello like your mother. The only thing that was left behind after what happened to her was her instrument. I wanted to honour her memory by learning how to play. I guess I'm just trying to do something similar with your mother. I always think of the cello I had back at home as holding my mother's spirit…it was taken away from me by my uncle. I think you might be able to understand why I am a little pushy with this." Hikari sighed. "Look, I'm not telling you to learn how to play; I just want you to keep it tuned."

Sasuke walked towards her and took the tuner from her hand.

"Teach me," he said as he walked towards the cello. "I'll learn how to do it if it shuts you up about it."

A smile spread across Hikari's face as she watched him sit down and bring the cello to his body.

"Alright," she said as she walked over and adjusted the instrument, "hold it like this, yeah that's right." Hikari took the bow from the stand and handed it to him. "Okay, so take the bow and play the 'A' string after I turn the tuner on, this one," she said as she showed him the proper string. Hikari took the tuner and then hit the power button.

Sasuke took the bow and placed it against the string, making a horrible screeching noise when he tried to play the note.

"No, you're pressing too hard," Hikari said as she walked behind the chair he sat in and grabbed the hand he held the bow in, "move it like this." She moved his arm with her own to show him the right application of pressure. She backed off and allowed him to do it on his own; as he played, she watched the tuner she held. "Okay, it says it's just slightly sharp; turn the fine tuner, the screw on the bottom of the string, to the left a couple of times and then try again."

Sasuke complied with her request and then played the note.

"Perfect," she said with a smile. "Now play the next string. Okay, it doesn't need tuning, it's fine. Play the next one."

Sasuke played the string as he watched her stare at the tuner in her hands.

"Adjust the fine tuner a few turns."

"Which way?"

"Oh, right," she said as flicked her eyes at him. "The note's a little flat."

After Sasuke did that, he played the last string and then looked up at her.

"That one is fine," Hikari said as she placed the tuner down on a table near the other chairs. "See, that wasn't so hard."

Sasuke didn't respond, instead he placed the cello back on its stand and then stretched.

"I think that was just a clever ploy to make me tune the instrument for you," Sasuke said with a playful smirk. "Maybe I should make you tune my guitar."

"No thanks," Hikari said with a sweet smile. "Now, have you had any ideas about the piece?"

"I have," he said as he walked towards the couch that sat near the table. He sat down and then brought his laptop out of his bag. "Listen to this song…I want to do something like this."

Sasuke brought up his iTunes and then typed in a song name and quickly clicked on it. A very familiar tune began to play and Hikari smiled.

"I love this song," she said enthusiastically. "_Between Poets and Murderers_…I was actually thinking I wanted to do something like that song too; I really love the fusion of string and guitar at the beginning. No matter what string instrument that is, I could easily play it."

"Well, we can't play the song," Sasuke said with a shrug.

"Yeah, I know," Hikari said as she rolled her eyes, "I was just saying we could make something like it. So, are we going to aim to do a fusion like this then?"

"Yeah, I'd say so," he said as he leaned back against the couch.

"Alright, here let me play you something I wrote before I came here," Hikari said as she got up and walked to the cello. "Maybe we could fuse together some of our composed pieces?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Alright," Hikari said as she sat down and began to play the piece she spoke of; it was a saddened song, one that she wrote when she was feeling very alone and isolated because of where her father lived and the way he treated her. After she finished and took the bow away and looked at him. "What do you think?"

"I actually think I may have a few melodies that would work well with that," Sasuke said as he began to reach for his guitar.

Hikari smiled as she watched him play the chords effortlessly; she realised that she was feeling a sense of peace and relaxation. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she felt like she and Sasuke really worked well together when it came to music. They have very similar tastes in songs, and they composed pieces of music that reflected something much sadder beneath the surface.

"Hey Sasuke?" she asked as she watched him play.

He nodded to signify he was listening.

"I think we're going to do really well on this project if we can just manage to keep working together like this," she told him as she glanced for the blue guitar he held again.

Sasuke stopped playing and looked directly into her eyes.

"I think so too."

…

"Come on, Hikari! Please," Naruto begged. "You have to come."

"No," Hikari said firmly. "I am not going to a party at Ino's house."

"Oh please just think about it," Naruto said as he rushed in front of her. "It's on Halloween! That's like a month away! Please think about it?"

"I don't do parties like that," Hikari said with a sigh as she lightly pushed Naruto out of her way. "I am not going to the dance this weekend either."

"What?" Naruto demanded as he stepped in her way again.

"I just don't feel up to it," Hikari said as she folded her arms. "I was going to go, but my homework is piling up. I have to compose a piece with Sasuke to be ready for Christmas, I have to do that presentation on _Hamlet_ and I have to write two different essays for English and History. I just don't have the time, Naruto."

"I'll help you do your homework!" Naruto exclaimed. "I really want you to go to Ino's party!"

"Why?" Hikari asked with a sigh. "I'm a real bore."

"Because you're friends with Sakura-chan," Naruto said with pleading blue eyes.

"Why does that matter?" Hikari asked with a raised brow. "It's Ino's party. What, did you not get an invitation or something?"

"No, I have an invite," Naruto said loudly, "but if you go, you can help me get Sakura-chan to dance with me!"

"Naruto, no matter what I say to Sakura, it's not going to change her mind about you," Hikari said as she shook her head and began to walk again. "She just doesn't like you like that."

"She's not giving me a chance!" Naruto yelled loudly. "Please, Hikari!"

Hikari stopped walking and closed her eyes with a sigh.

"I will think about it," she uttered.

"YES!" Naruto cheered as he rushed forwards and pulled her into a tight hug. "Oh thank you, Kari-chan!"

"You're lucky I like you, Naruto," Hikari said as she rolled her eyes. "If anyone else just grabbed me the way you did and tried to squeeze the life out of me like that, I would have punched them in the face."

Naruto quickly let go of her and smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"He he…lucky you like me, right?"

"It's as I just said, now come on," Hikari said as she grabbed his arm. "You have to go to Gym and I have to go to History class."

"Uh, right."


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen:**

"Come on Shikamaru, wake up before Mr. Sarutobi sees you," Hikari whispered as she poked at his shoulder.

"Who cares?" he asked; his arms were obscuring his face from her view, but she could hear the yawn he let pass his lips.

"He's going to call on you," Hikari said as she crossed her legs. "Then what will you do?"

"Answer the question," Shikamaru responded without lifting his head. "Man, why are girls so troublesome? Just let me sleep."

"Fine, I will let you sleep but when you get bad participation marks don't blame me," Hikari said as she shook her head and continued to write down what Mr. Sarutobi was lecturing about in her notebook. "The history of the Land of Fire…part fifty."

"See, this is why I don't have to listen," Shikamaru mumbled. "He spends months on the Land of Fire; it's not like I am missing anything new."

"If I have to suffer through this, you should too," she whispered harshly. "You're not the only one who is tired."

Shikamaru didn't answer her, so she figured he ignored her and went back to sleep.

"Political tension began to stir between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning after the attempted assassination of an important figure within Konoha," Asuma went on as he began to write on the chalk board. "In the end, the assassin was skilled by the head of the family and the Land of Lightening refused to acknowledge the contract they had with the man; they only would acknowledge that he was a representative of Kumogakure that they sent to look over the peace treaty before signing it. They demanded blood for his death and Konoha had no way to prove their claim of what went down. This caused even more trouble within the nation."

Hikari kicked Shikamaru's shin.

"Seriously, we haven't learned this," she urged in a whisper. "You should listen."

He didn't respond and she sighed.

"The government was faced with little choice, it was either destroy the peace with the Land of Lightning they had worked so hard to achieve, or it was hand over the man who killed the assassin to be executed in the Land of Lightning for violating the treaty," Asuma went on. "The man's twin was sent in his place and died by execution."

"That's horrible," Hikari whispered to herself.

"Alright, there is only five minutes of class left, you can all go," Mr. Sarutobi said as he walked towards his desk.

Hikari stood and gathered her things only to be approached by Sasuke.

"Hey," she said with a small smile as she grabbed her things. "What's up?"

"We should get together again tonight, so don't make plans," Sasuke said to her as he crossed his arms.

"Alright, would you like to come to my place?" Hikari asked as she put her notebook away and then slung her bag over her shoulder.

"Sure, my guitar's with me anyways," he said as he lifted the instrument slightly.

"Alright, meet me in the second parking lot," Hikari said as she turned and began to walk towards the door.

Sasuke nodded and followed her to their next class.

…

"God, it feels like we haven't got to speak in a week!" Sora said as he sat down next to Hikari in their visual arts class.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Hikari said with an apologetic smile. "I have been busy lately, haven't had much time to do anything."

"So, how are things with duck-ass?" Sora asked as he took out his sketchbook.

"Well, he's getting better," she said as she did the same, "I don't know what I did, but he seems to be less of a jerk lately."

"Well, at least he's not giving you a hard time," Sora said as he looked up towards her with a smile that struck her as entirely _fake_.

"Hey, are you okay?" Hikari asked as she tilted her head to the side. "I feel like you've been in a bit of a mood lately. Is something bothering you?"

"Nothing at all," Sora said as he glanced towards her. "On the contrary, I feel really great. I feel really confident."

"Confident?" Hikari asked with a raised brow. "About what?"

"Oh, I just have a feeling things are going to go well for me in the near future," he said with a shrug.

"Well, I hope they go well for you then," Hikari said as she shook her head and looked down at her book. "Ms. Yuhi was sick today, who do you think they're bringing in for art?"

"They're not," Sora said as he looked towards her. "It's a study period; we're supposed to draw in our sketchbooks; something about planning for our next project."

"They're just letting us stay in here without any supervision?" Hikari asked with a raised brow. "What about the supplies?"

"They're going to have people stop in every fifteen minutes to check on the class," Sora said with a shrug. "See, right now Mr. Gai is taking attendance."

Hikari looked towards where his eyes swept and saw the freaky physical education teacher taking down names.

"Is youthful Hikari Koizumi here?"

"Uh, here," Hikari said hesitantly as she raised her hand.

"You need more spirit in your response! Your youth is fading!"

Hikari was completely dumbfounded.

"Some gym teacher, huh?" Sora asked with a laugh. "At least you get to have a better teacher for gym than I do."

"Yeah, I don't have gym this semester," Hikari said as she looked towards him. "So I wouldn't know."

"Where is Sasuke Uchiha?" the teacher asked as his eyes flicked around the room. "Ah, there you are! Last on list! Everyone keep their youth~"

The male gym teacher left the room in a jog.

"Uh…that was something else," Hikari said as she watched him go.

"Hey, Hikari?" Sora asked as he leaned towards her. "What are you doing after school today?"

"She's busy."

Hikari looked up and saw Sasuke standing over them.

"I don't think I asked you, Uchiha," Sora said with a roll of his eyes.

"Come on, Koizumi, let's get out of here," Sasuke said as he crossed his arms. "We can get more work done."

"Yeah…that's probably better than sitting here doing nothing," Hikari said as she looked at her book. "We are pretty far behind."

"You're going to skip class with him?" Sora asked with narrowed eyes.

"Well, Sora, we're not really doing anything important and I can't fail these other projects," Hikari said with an apologetic smile. "I am busy today. I'm sorry. Maybe we can hang out this weekend?"

Sora sighed.

"Whatever."

"Come on, Sora, that's not fair," Hikari said with a frown. "I want to hang out, but I can't…I have a lot of work."

"Alright, at least give me a call," Sora said as he looked towards her.

"Yeah, I'll call you tonight," Hikari said with a relieved sigh. "Alright, I've got to go."

Hikari stood and gathered her stuff before turning off and walking towards the door that was left ajar. She turned and saw that Sora was giving Sasuke a very nasty glare. She frowned and shook her head, following the Uchiha out of the room.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**The Eighteenth Passage:**

Hikari sighed as she looked at the text on her phone; how her father had even gotten her new number was beyond her.

'_Any names_?'

That was her job, she gives them names, they do the rest; however, she didn't feel confident in the names she had gathered. The name she had gathered. She sighed and began to text a reply.

'_I think I may have one, but I am not positive yet. I don't want you guys chasing a wild goose. Give me a little more time and I might have more than one_.'

Hikari wanted to know how to stop herself from feeling to sick whenever she thought of what she was in Konoha for; she didn't want to feel so damn _guilty_ all the time. It constantly gnawed away at her, weighing her down, and making her feel terrible about herself. She was so caught up in her façade that she had begun to think of some of the people she had met as her friends.

"Friend's don't rob each other," she said bitterly. She set her phone down on her desk with a sigh. "_How do I separate myself from all of this_?"

Hikari bit her lip and ran a shaky hand through her hair as she closed her eyes and curled her toes; without much warning, her eyes began to blot with tears.

Her cellphone began to sing and she looked at the text message hesitantly.

'_Don't get comfortable, Hikari._'

She let out a sob and then threw the object at her wall, watching it slam against the hard surface and crack as it did.

It sang again.

Hikari blinked and then walked towards the electronic device, picking it up and gazing at the plastic protective case that had cracked from the force of her throw.

'_Hey, what happened to you calling me_?'

Sora, she had forgot she was supposed to call him. She certainly couldn't do it in her current condition; the last thing she wanted was for him to wonder why she was crying. She supposed if she really wanted to, she could say someone had bothered her, but why lie more than she had to?

Hikari sighed and walked towards her bed; something that didn't belong there caught her eye. Sasuke's black scarf lied in a twisted pile on her bed.

"He must have forgotten it," she uttered as she picked it up; the material was incredibly soft. She brought it to her nose and inhaled deeply; it smelled like his car did. She liked his smelled and strangely it was comforting to her when she felt like breaking down.

Hikari laid down and then brought the scarf up to her face, letting his smell invade her nostrils as she closed her eyes. With every breath she took, she calmed down a little more and hugged the garment a little closer. A strange image that she could not make heads or tails of invaded her mind; for just a fraction of a moment, she had imaged herself curled up within Sasuke's arms, and the thought had made her feel good.

…

"You forgot this at my place yesterday," Hikari said as she approached the Uchiha who had been on her mind all morning in the music room and held out his scarf for him to take.

"Yeah, I did," he said as he took it from her and draped it around his shoulders. "Thanks, Koizumi."

"It wasn't any issue," she said as she took her seat next to him and pulled the school's cello closer to her.

"We should practice again today," Sasuke said as he looked towards her, "and finish off the English project. It's due Monday."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Hikari said with a nod of her head as she took the bow of the cello from the stand. "We can talk about it in English."

Sasuke nodded and picked his guitar up out of its case and brought it to his lap before plucking the strings to make sure it was in tune.

…

Sasuke knew that something was off about his scarf the moment it got close enough for him to smell; her scent was all over it, fogging over his mind.

"_Was she wearing it_?" he wondered as he looked towards her. He knew he couldn't tell by looking at her, but he couldn't draw his eyes away either.

Hikari looked towards him and caught him staring; she gave him a small smile and began to play her cello as she read the sheet music. Sasuke found his eyes jumping from her to his own sheet music and he began to strum the notes effortlessly. Her smell began to bother him again; she smelled sweet and spicy at the same time, like she wore some kind of perfume that had vanilla and cinnamon in it. He knew he liked it, but refused to admit it; he didn't like Hikari. This was all just a game.

Sasuke looked towards her again and saw something he had never noticed about her before when she played music, there was a certain vulnerability to her; at times, she looked like she was about cry. He wondered why she wore her emotions on her sleeve when she played and then decided that maybe the answer was because it was the only time she could.

…

"Hey," Hikari said to Sora with a smile as she stepped in front of his locker.

"Sorry, do I know you?" he asked as he ignored her and continued taking things from his locker.

"I'm sorry for not calling," she said as she looked down at her feet. "I was dealing with some stuff."

"You were with Uchiha…are you two having sleepovers now?" Sora asked with a raised brow as he looked at her.

"No, I wasn't with him," Hikari defended as she was taken aback by his words.

"Don't give me that wounded look," Sora said as he shut his locker. "If you really weren't with him, what were you doing?"

"I was crying," Hikari said as she looked up at him with narrowed eyes. "I am upset and didn't want to call because I didn't want you to worry about me."

Sora's facial expression turned from slightly irritated to guilty in seconds.

"H-Hikari, look I'm sor-"

"No," she cut him off as she stepped back from the hand he had outstretched towards her. "I wanted to make it up to you by sitting with you guys for lunch, but I don't think I want to anymore."

"Come on, Hikari! I'm sorry!" Sora exclaimed as he watched her push her way through the crowd and towards the cafeteria.

"You fucked that one up, Hayate."

Sora's brow twitched in annoyance, _he_ was the last person he wanted to hear or see.

"Screw off, Uchiha," Sora said hostility.

"Well, we both know whose going to be the loser in all of this," Sasuke said as he folded his arms again his chest.

"This isn't a game to me!" Sora said loudly as he shoved Sasuke into the lockers he was leaning against. "You don't even like her you filthy prick!"

Sasuke smirked.

"That's why it's fun to mess with you," Sasuke said as he pushed Sora away. "I can get her to ignore you so easily, and I don't even want her."

"I'm warning you Uchiha, fuck off!" Sora hissed as he curled his fists.

"Che," he snorted. "Or what?"

"Or I will make you regret it," Sora replied as his knuckles began to turn white. "Unlike everyone else in this school, I'm not afraid to hit scum like you."

"I believe we have already proved you can't lay a finger on me," Sasuke said as he stepped towards Sora. "In fact, you need a girl to fight for you."

Sora launched his fist forwards, but instead of hitting Sasuke, it hit the locker that was behind him; Sasuke had dodged at the last possible moment.

"You should take your own advice, Hayate," Sasuke hissed from behind him. "Fuck off."

Sora turned on him, prepared to beat him to a bloody pulp, but someone wrapped their arms underneath his and then locked them behind his head.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" his brother hissed in his ear.

"I'm going to _kill_ Uchiha!" Sora yelled as he struggled to get free. "Let me go!"

"I think not," Hoshi said with narrowed eyes. He directed them towards Uchiha. "Get lost."

"With pleasure," Sasuke said as he swiftly turned and began to walk away at a leisurely pace.

Once Sasuke was out of sight, Hoshi let his brother go.

"Have you gone mad?" Hoshi asked him as he folded his arms. "Uchiha would have kicked your ass."

"Oh, the vote of confidence really makes my day," Sora sneered as he turned on his brother.

"Uchiha has been taking martial arts for years," Hoshi said with a roll of his eyes.

"How do you know that?"

"We're in the same class, you idiot," Hoshi said with a sigh. "I have only told you about fifty times."

"Well, I don't care!" Sora said as he turned back around and tried to search for Sasuke's head of raven hair in the crowd. "I could take him."

His brother smacked him upside the head.

"Get over yourself, all you have done is dug yourself a deep hole," Hoshi said as he walked past his brother.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked as he rolled his eyes and followed.

"Are you that stupid?" Hoshi asked as he looked over his shoulder. "You're a fool if you think Hikari won't hear about this."

"Hikari?"

"Yes, the girl you're so focused on 'winning' from Uchiha?"

"What about her?"

"Do you honestly think Uchiha won't spin what just happened to make it sound like you provoked him?"

"She'd never believe that!" Sora exclaimed.

"I don't know, you snapped at her and Uchiha saw the whole thing, he's going to make it sound like you attacked him out of anger."

Sora paused and held his head.

"Oh fuck…"

"Yeah, oh fuck," Hoshi said as he shook his head. "You're going to have a wonderful time talking yourself out of this one. I told you to stay out of it Sora. You should have just let Uchiha fuck up for himself; he's not exactly the kind of guy Hikari usually likes to hang around. However, now you've made him look like a saint and made yourself look like a total douchebag."

"What do I do now?" Sora demanded with a groan.

"Hope that she will still speak to you," Hoshi said as he turned into the cafeteria.

Sora's eyes drifted to Hikari; she was looking directly at him, however, once she took in the sight of him her gentle expression turned to one of disgust.

"I think that's not going to be the case…"

"Well, you had better start apologising."


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Chapter Nineteen:**

Hikari sat alone in her room, blasting her music from the speakers of her laptop. Kakashi was away on a date, so she didn't reframe from letting the sound echo throughout his house. She laid on her bed, looking at the ceiling with dull eyes; she felt terrible.

"I think I have to go to that party," Hikari said quietly to herself. "If I go, I will be able to observe the behaviour of so many of the teens in this city; it's a huge opportunity…"

_'But you don't want to do this anymore,_' her subconscious reminded her.

She bit her lip and closed her eyes, trying to wait out the wave of nausea that had swept across her stomach with the thought of hurting innocent people; people like Naruto, Sora, and Sasuke. After the nausea, she felt frustration; she hated feeling so guilty. She knew it had to be done; she knew she had to gain a stomach for betraying the innocent and unsuspecting if she wanted to take over her father's business. That was her destiny and that was the life she had chosen so long ago; she was not going to let herself ruin her entire life for people she had only known for a month. Life was tough; they could suck it up and hate her once she was gone.

But she didn't want to be hated.

However, didn't want to be disowned either.

Hikari slammed her fist down into her mattress and let out a yell of frustration; she was sick and tired of being so damn indecisive.

"I'll send him one name," she said through gritted teeth as she snatched her phone off her nightstand. She recalled the text she had received and then frowned, hesitating as her fingers hovered over the keys. She swallowed her hesitation.

'_Megumi Tanaka_,' she texted as she bit her lip.

"There," she proclaimed as she deleted the texts from her phone and then put it back on her nightstand. "I don't even like her; she's a total slut who totally wants in Sasuke's pants and she's the annoying vice-president of his fan-club. See, I am strong enough for this. I can condemn people."

She felt like she was trying to convince herself of that matter.

"Fuck my life," she uttered as she flopped back down against her pillows.

She smiled when her phone went off and let her know she had received a text message; not because she had gotten a message, but because she had set her phone to play Navi the Fairy from _Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time_ saying 'Hey, Listen!' every time someone texted. It had made her forget her predicament for just a moment. However, once she realised that it was probably her father responding, she frowned; but it wasn't him.

'_I'm so sorry, Hikari. Please give me a chance to explain. –Sora_'

The text didn't make her any happier than it would have if it was her father who had texted her; she was in no mood to deal with Sora. She had heard about the events of the day before and she could not believe that he had tried to fight Sasuke over her; as if there was anything to fight about. Sora had screwed up that day and Sasuke had nothing to do with her decision to give him the cold shoulder; to even suggest that made her angry. It was as if Sora thought she couldn't think for herself.

Her phone went off again as soon as she had locked it. She groaned and looked at the message.

'_We'll look into it_.'

That time it was from her father.

Hikari sighed and put the phone on her bedside table before curling up under her blankets and turning out the light; she'd go to sleep with her music playing because she didn't have anything else to comfort her when she felt so frantic. Kakashi could walk right in and turn it off anyways; it wasn't as if it mattered.

…

Hikari walked into her school, the heels of her boots clicking as she walked and as _Bullet for My Valentine_ blasted through her headphones. Her eyes swept over the kids in the halls; she was there for a purpose, she was there to figure out who would finance her business in the future when she ran it.

No more guilt, she had promised herself that before she left Kakashi's home. She would do her job and then try to distance her true feelings from her façade whenever she needed to breathe. It was not going to be easy, but she was going to do it. She didn't have a choice.

"_Yuki Idaio, model_," Hikari thought as her eyes drifted to the extremely beautiful brunette who leaned against her locker chatting with her friend. "_She's got money. Her friend is Sakimi Hashitaka, daughter of two lawyers._" 

Hikari continued walking and listed off the names of some of the faces she recognised.

"_Naruto Uzumaki…somehow rich_," Hikari thought as she saw him leaning against _her _locker. Hikari reached up to her ears and took out her headphones before putting her iPod away into her bag.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she approached him. "Why are you here at my locker?"

"To remind you that you have to come to Ino's party," Naruto said as he looked her directly in the eyes. "She wants you to come now too!"

Hikari rolled her eyes.

"I said I'd think about it," she said as she waved him aside and then opened her locker once he moved. "Why does she want me to come?"

"I'm not sure, but I heard her and Sakura-chan whispering about it," Naruto said as he crossed his arms and nodded.

"They probably want Sora to go…they should just ask him," Hikari said as she gathered her Music and English books. "I am not exactly talking to him right now."

"Is it because he tried to fight Teme?" Naruto asked with a laugh.

"No, it's because he needs to rethink what kind of girl he thinks I am," Hikari said bitterly as she shut her locker. "I am no one's tool."

"Well, I think you're great Kari-chan!" Naruto said as he began to walk with her.

She turned to him with a smile as she brushed her long hair over her shoulder.

"Thanks, Naruto. I think I needed to hear that."

…

"Hikari please talk to me," Sora pleaded when she walked into the music room.

"This is not the time or place," she hissed as her eyes drifted to the many students who were sitting in their seats already; she did not want to make a scene in public.

"Please! You haven't spoken to me for three days," Sora said as he followed her. "I'm sorry, Hikari."

Hikari felt her anger surface as she turned to him and stopped him in his tracks with the sight of her expression. It was too late to prevent a scene in public; he pushed her over the edge. It was as if he thought he could just approach her when she was still this angry at him. She would put him in his place.

"I do not want to talk to you, Sora," she exclaimed. "You think I am some kind of tool that can be manipulated by Uchiha, but I am not. I simply have homework and can't waste every fucking moment of my free time trying to convince you that I want to be your friend." Many heads in the class turned towards them and the she knew they were staring, but she didn't care anymore. "If you are so insecure that you have to know what I am doing every second of every fucking day, I don't want to deal with that. God, we're not even dating. Stop treating me like I am some kind of suspicious girlfriend who's fucking every guy behind your back! I am allowed to hang out with who I want to, you cannot try to control me like you own me! Give me some fucking space and then maybe I will consider trying to talk to you again!"

Sora's jaw hit the floor. Ignoring his wounded expression, Hikari turned with a huff and continued to walk to her seat next to Sasuke. All eyes remained on Sora, but instead of suffering through the humiliation, he returned to his instrument and then grabbed his bag before leaving.

"I feel like such a bitch," Hikari uttered as she sat down and she pulled the school's cello closer to her body.

"Well, I'd say you definitely just kicked a puppy," Sasuke responded, without looking at her, as he tuned his guitar.

"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better about being a bitch," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Well, do you want me to lie to you?" Sasuke asked as he looked towards her.

"No," she said after she let a sigh escape from her parted lips, "a person making decisions for me is the last thing I want."

Sasuke nodded to her and then continued to look down at his guitar and fiddle with the tuning.

Hikari looked around and spotted a different teacher at the front of the room.

"Ms. Yuhi is still away?" Hikari asked more to herself than anyone else.

"She's out for the semester," Sasuke answered, "she came down with some sickness and is on medical leave."

"How do you always know stuff like this?" Hikari asked as she looked at him with a raised brow.

"I have a pack of girls who follow me around spewing gossip as they go," Sasuke said with irritation in his tone. "I have a way of hearing things."

"Alright, class," the teacher in the front of the room said as she brushed her sun-kissed pinkish-blond hair behind her ear. "The school board was lucky to find someone who can cover all of Ms. Yuhi's subjects, my name is Asami Koizumi and I will be your new teacher for the rest of this semester."

"Do you know her?" Sasuke asked as he looked towards Hikari out of the corner of his eye.

"No, we may share a last name, but I have never met her," Hikari responded quietly.

Asami quickly took attendance and then turned back to the class with a cheery smile.

"Okay, so please take out the sheet music that was given to you yesterday," Asami said as she picked up the baton from the stand.

Hikari took out the sheet and placed it on her stand before adjusting the position of the cello so it sat correctly against her. When Asami waved her baton, she began to play.


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Chapter Twenty:**

"Last she said, and this was like a week ago, was that she was pretty angry with you man," Naruto told Sora as they walked down the halls of their school. "As soon as she found out you were going to the dance, she skipped out."

Sora groaned and ran a hand through his messy black locks of hair.

"I just wish she'd give me a chance to apologise," Sora said with a frown. "I didn't mean what I said."

"I shouldn't tell you this, but she was saying she was angry at you because you thought so little of her," Naruto said as he turned to Sora. "She said you thought she didn't have a mind of her own."

"That's not what I was thinking at all!" Sora said with a roll of his eyes. "Trust a girl to completely take what I said out of context; I was just saying that Uchiha was using her."

"I'd watch what you say about Teme in front of her," Naruto said as he crossed his arms. "They seem to be chummy lately."

"That's just great," Sora said as he threw both of his hands into the air. "I'll have no chance of getting into her good graces again if he has anything to say about it."

"I don't know, Kari-chan seems to be pretty forgiving…maybe you just need to say sorry for the right thing," Naruto said with a shrug. "Look, I've got to get to lunch; I hope you work things out with her. Kari's pretty cool; it'd suck to lose her as a friend."

"Yeah…I know what you mean," Sora mumbled as he watched Naruto walk away. "Fucking Uchiha, I hate him."

"I don't know why you're trying so hard…"

"You wouldn't understand, Hoshi," Sora said with a roll of his eyes as he turned to his brother. "I was so close to getting with her."

"Yeah, and she publicly humiliated you in your Music class last week; I heard about what she said to you," Hoshi replied as he closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Why would you want to date her if she is going to blow up and say things like that to you whenever she loses her temper?"

"She's not normally like that," Sora defended with a frown, "she was just upset with me to begin with; I pushed her too far. She didn't mean it."

"You put a lot of faith in her," Hoshi said as he looked towards Hikari's locker; she was there, putting away her books and taking her scarf out. She put on her jacket and then grabbed her purse before turning to look towards them. "I hope she's worth it."

"She is," Sora pressed, "she's really incredible."

"You're pathetic," Hoshi said with a roll of his eyes. "You follow her around like she's some sort of goddess. You turn into a lost puppy when she bats her eyes at you."

"You make it sound like you don't like Hikari very much," Sora said as he looked at his brother with accusing eyes.

"No, I do, but sometimes I get the feeling that she doesn't know what she wants…that can be a problem for other people too," Hoshi said as he shrugged. "By the way, she's coming over here."

Sora perked up and looked towards her with a smile.

"Hey," she said as she gave them both a small smile. "How are you Hoshi?"

"I'm well, thank you," he said as he gave her a friendly smile. "I'm going to go meet up with Tenten. Have a nice day."

Hikari nodded as she watched him walk away.

"Look," she said as she looked up at Sora once his brother was gone, "I want to talk with you. Care to join me for lunch?"

"Yeah, I'd love to," Sora said, taken aback. "Uh, let me go get my coat."

Hikari nodded as she watched him turn to his locker and shrug his coat on.

"Alright, let's go? I know a great little noddle stir-fry shop," Hikari said with a gentle smile. "By the way, my history class is canceled today, so I have some extra time to sit around."

"Well, in that case, my Kinesiology class is not important today," Sora said with a charming smile. "Let us go, Ms. Koizumi."

Hikari smiled at him.

"Don't get too friendly yet, Mr. Hayate…I want to talk to you about the last two weeks. I have a few bones to pick."

Sora sighed and nodded as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I figured that'd be the case."

…

"Can I start?" Sora asked as he folded his hands.

"I guess," Hikari said as she crossed her legs and relaxed in the booth she sat in.

"Look, I am really sorry about everything that's happened," Sora said as he sighed. "I know I shouldn't have gotten upset with you for being busy, but I got this idea in my head that grew until I began to obsess over it. I just thought that you needed someone to look out for you."

Hikari sighed and closed her eyes.

"I've never been in a relationship with anyone where they are already trying to look out for me only after a month of knowing me," Hikari said as she opened her eyes and looked towards him. "You have to understand that I am extremely independent and do not appreciate anyone interfering in my life in any way. I like making my own decisions and I hate being ridiculed for them; it's just the way I am."

"I didn't mean to insult you," Sora said with a note of pleading in his voice. "I really like you and that's the reason why I was trying to look out for you…it's also the reason I got jealous when you began to hang around Uchiha." Sora looked directly into her eyes with his own baby-blue pools. "You don't understand how different you are, Hikari; the moment you walked into that school, you didn't even_ look _at Uchiha. Every girl swoons over him, and you couldn't care less about him. When I sat next to you in English, I discovered this beautiful girl with the most amazing personality and charm. Your smile sucked me in and I wanted to be your friend right away. After that, I learned that you hated Uchiha; that was a plus because I didn't have to worry about him stealing _another _girl away from me. I found myself with this amazing, incredible, and beautiful girl all to myself…"

"Wait," Hikari said as a light blush dusted her cheeks; she had no idea how she was supposed to stay angry at him after a confession like that, he was practically wearing his heart on his sleeve and gushing about how amazing he thought she was. "What do you mean 'steal another girl away'?"

Sora looked away from her eyes and leaned back in the booth, folding his arms. He opened his mouth to speak, but a server interrupted them.

"Sorry for the wait, what can I get you two?" she asked with a friendly smile upon her lips. She looked about their age, which made Hikari wonder why she wasn't in school; she assumed it must have been because she was homeschooled or was older than she appeared.

"Oh," Hikari said as she looked up at the brunette. "I'll have the chicken and shrimp stir-fry with lo-mein noodles and a mix of both vegetable blends."

"What kind of sauce?" she asked as she wrote down the order.

"No house-sauce, but could you please bring me soy-sauce?" Hikari asked as she returned the waiter's friendly smile.

"Yep, I can do that. What would you like to drink?"

"Green tea, please," Hikari said with a smile.

"And you?" she server asked as she turned to Sora.

Hikari picked up her cup of water they had poured her when she sat down and began to sip on it.

"I'll have the Phad Thai, and make sure there is a lot of spice in it," he said with his usually cheery smile.

"I'm guessing you like it really hot," she said suggestively as she gave him a flirtatious smile.

Sora's cheeks turned a deep red in colour and Hikari nearly choked on her water as she began to cough.

Silence fell between them for what felt like the longest moment of Hikari's life.

"Uh, I guess that's true for my food," Sora said as he tried to get over his embarrassment. "…I'll have a cola to drink."

"I'll get right on that," she said with a wink as she left the table.

"I can't believe…she just said that to you," Hikari said through coughs as she watched the waitress go. She hit her chest a few times, trying to get over the fact that her water had gone down the wrong tube.

"Yeah, I'd say that was the boldest come-on I have ever had said to me," Sora said as he turned his head and looked towards where the waitress had disappeared to.

Silence fell between them and Hikari bit her lip before starting to speak again.

"So what did you mean when you said Sasuke stole some girl away?" she asked as she looked into his eyes.

"It was two years ago when we were freshmen," Sora said with a sigh. "I don't know if he had something to prove or just wanted to be a jerk, but there was this girl that I had become friends with and kind of liked. Her name was Akemi and she was really sweet, but she had a thing for him." Sora leaned back and looked out the window. "Sasuke, who had no interest in her ever, began to talk with her and they became friends. I didn't mind at first, I didn't think he was up to anything. I thought maybe they'd been introduced or something. I liked Akemi and I was going to ask her out, but out of nowhere Sasuke had snatched her up. I will never forget the look he gave me after I first saw them making out in the hallway; it was like he was telling me that he had won."

"That's awful," Hikari uttered as she looked down at her hands; she sucked in a deep breath before looking directly into his eyes again, "but why are you acting like he's doing that now? It seems a little bit odd, even for Sasuke. It's just childish."

Sora rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"You have known Uchiha for a month," he said as he let out a frustrated sigh, "I have known him for years; how can you even possibly judge his character accurately?"

"Don't start snapping at me yet, Sora," she said with a frown curling her lips, "I didn't mean it that way. I was trying to say that maybe things have changed since then."

"I'm sorry," Sora said with a sigh. "My brother is always saying I just imagined the whole thing…I get defensive over it."

Hikari smiled sadly at him and then reached across the table to grab his hand.

"You don't have to be so afraid," she said softly, "the only reason I'd go anywhere is if you pushed me away; I'm not going to just up and ditch you like she did."

Sora smiled at her and then squeezed her hand back.

"But it just wasn't about him taking her, it's more than that," Sora said as a sudden sadness overtook him; Hikari could see it in his eyes, it was deep and aching.

"What happened?"

"Sasuke liked to play this game with her," Sora said as he looked away from Hikari's eyes, "he'd be nice and then a totally jerk; it was a vicious cycle. Soon after she got into a fight with me and told me we were done, he dumped her out of the blue; he got bored." Sora's words were like bitter poison. "I tried to speak with her and we did begin to be friends again, but she grew distant. She had a really tough at-home life on top of all this stupid drama. About six months ago, she suddenly cracked."

"Cracked?"

"She's not the same person anymore…she's different," Sora said as he looked back at Hikari, his blue eyes piercing her own. "She started getting into drugs, bad drugs; after a while, it was like nothing remained of her. It's like there is this shell of her walking around Konoha with a completely different person inside of it; I don't even think she remembers my name anymore."

Hikari reached forwards with her other hand and grabbed onto his, squeezing both.

"That isn't your fault," she said in a soothing tone. "She made her own choices about how she wanted to deal with her pain. I know what trouble at home feels like and I know that when her life with her friends felt like it was crumbling, she probably became terribly sad; she probably felt like she had nothing. However, the person who truly wanted to fix things might have strayed, but eventually, they would have tried to fix things; drugs don't touch the ache, they just make it go to the back of your mind while you live in the moment. None of what happened to her was your fault, and maybe one day Akemi will come around to being your friend."

"You think so?" Sora asked with a frown pulling at his lips.

"I think she misses you," Hikari answered with a kind smile. "You're a nice guy Sora."

Sora took in a deep breath and then smiled back at her.

"I have to thank you for hearing me out…I honestly didn't know what to expect when you asked me to come to lunch with you," Sora said as he took his hand away from hers and rubbed the back of his neck. "I just knew I didn't want to lose you too."


	21. Chapter Twenty One

**Chapter Twenty-One:**

Hikari didn't know what to think or who to believe anymore; should she believe that Sasuke was really a cold-hearted bastard who thrived on other's pain, or believe that Sora was a paranoid and clingy bitch who obsessed over her? Some time had passed since Sora's apology and she hadn't received a straight answer from either him or Sasuke. She didn't want to think about it; in the long run, neither of them would matter. She'd be at the top of the food chain and they'd be stuck in Konoha and then die eventually. Everyone had to die at some point, however, the thought of Sasuke or Sora six feet under made her stomach churn. She knew she didn't want them to cease existing in her world; she wasn't feeling as if she couldn't go on without them, but she knew she didn't want them to go anywhere either. She was truly facing endless amounts of inner turmoil over two people she had known for only two months.

"Hikari, what are you thinking?" she asked herself aloud as she blew her bangs out of her face and spun in her computer chair.

"Obviously, if you're asking yourself that question it isn't much of anything…"

Sasuke, he was always so sarcastic; a part of her had begun to like that. It was playful and she enjoyed mouthing back rude replies. It was their little game that they played with each other. Like a never ending dance, they pulled and repelled each other; she loved the excitement that stirred in her gut from the way he would look at her, but hated the way he would treat her when he realised they had become too familiar. Why was it such a bad thing for them to be close? She had wondered that multiple times after Sasuke had turned cold. Just what was he trying to hide?

She looked at him from her desk in the computer lab and shot him a playful glare.

"I am going to crush you one day, Uchiha," she threatened as she stuck out her tongue, "make you wish you never met me."

"I find myself already wishing that," he said as he searched their research topic on _Google_, "however, someone like you could never scare me."

"Challenge accepted," Hikari said with a twisted smile. "It's so on, Uchiha."

…

"Look at them flirting, it's disgusting," Sora uttered to himself with a bitter snarl.

"Tell me about it."

He hadn't heard that voice in a long time, he was sure of it, but it sounded so familiar. He looked to his side and was surprised to see that she was in the lab at the same time as him, that she had sat next to him, and that she was actually looking at him with her pretty jade eyes.

"It makes me sick."

Sora averted his eyes.

"Look, Akemi, if you're here just to come and complain that Uchiha ditched you, I don't really want to hear it," he said as he looked back at his computer. "When I tried to console you about it, you no longer wanted me; I've put our friendship behind me."

"What, for her?" Akemi asked with a snort. "She's so close to joining Sakura's slut-bimbo squad of stalkers, it's not even funny; what do you even want with a girl like that anyways, Sora?"

Sora look at her with a fierce glare lit in his eyes.

"You can talk about Haruno all you want, but if I _ever_ hear you insult Hikari like that again, I will make you regret it," Sora said hostilely. "You don't even know the first thing about her."

"I know she likes to jerk you around," Akemi said as she leant back in her chair and twirled a lock of curled and dyed midnight-blue hair between her fingers. "She wants to have two men in her life…are you really up to play those games?"

"Shut up, Akemi," Sora said harshly. "Like I said, you don't know her."

"It doesn't take a genius to see through a superficial bitch like her," she said as she looked Hikari up and down. "Look at those heels, her skinny jeans and that girly blouse; not to mention the mask she paints on her face."

"So, she dresses like a girl," Sora spat. "What's your problem?"

"Do you want to know why girls like her hide behind their clothes, hair, and makeup?" Akemi asked as she leaned closer to Sora.

He rolled his eyes.

"No."

"They have something to hide," she revealed to him anyways. "They use all of the beauty to distract those around them. They're liars and I'd say you've fallen for her tricks pretty hard."

"You're far too cynical for your own good," Sora hissed as he looked towards her. "The only superficial person here is you, Akemi. You only care about what Uchiha thinks of your stuffed bra and you just hope he'll take some pathetic piece of trash like you back by hiding behind dyed hair and thick amounts of black eye-liner; you're not fooling anyone, you're just plainly desperate."

Akemi's hand connected to his cheek with enough force to instantly turn it red. Sora looked directly into her jade eyes, his own pools crazed with rage as he held his face.

"You're such a bitch," he spit as he stood abruptly; all heads turned towards him, "there is a reason why I don't associate with you anymore."

"Well you had better begun to count the reasons why you don't associate with Koizumi too," she sneered in a whisper, "because soon, she will hate you too."

…

"Sora, what was _that_?" Hikari shouted after him as she rounded the corner he had already turned in the halls of their school.

"What was what?" he asked as he stopped and then slowly turned to face her.

"What happened back there?" she demanded as she pointed towards the computer lab. "What happened with that chick from the science class?"

"Nothing," he said as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "It was nothing; she's just a bitch."

"Sora, she slapped you," Hikari said with a frown as she walked closer to him and then lightly touched the reddening part of his cheek. "Here, why don't you come with me? I can clean that up a bit…it looks like a ring or something scratched you."

Sora sighed as he let her pull him towards the singular washrooms for the staff. Hikari looked both ways before quickly pulling him behind the door and locking it.

"Alright," she said as she flipped on the light and grabbed some paper towel and wet it under the faucet, "this could sting a little."

Sora nodded and then she began to lightly dab away the small amount of blood from the cut.

"You want to tell me who that girl was?" Hikari asked as she flicked her eyes to his and then back at his cheek.

"That was Akemi…the girl I told you about when we had lunch that day," Sora said as he closed his eyes.

"That was her?" Hikari asked with a raised brow. "I thought you guys were friends."

"Yeah, we _were_," Sora said as he looked towards her, "a long time ago."

Hikari nodded and then threw away the paper towel before going into the first aid box and then finding some ointment to put on the cut. She lightly dabbed that on his cut and then put it back where she found it.

"Alright, all done," Hikari said as she began to step back, however Sora grabbed her wrist.

"I don't want us to end up like her and I are," he whispered as he drew closer to her. "I don't want you to hate me too."

"I couldn't hate you," Hikari said with a smile. "Don't worry about Sasuke…no matter what he does, I will never hate you."

"I don't want to talk about Uchiha right now," Sora said as he slowly leaned his head down towards her lips. Hikari's breath hitched in her throat and butterflies fluttered in her stomach as it dawned on her that she was about to receive her first kiss again. However, right before he could touch her lips, a loud knock at the door forced them apart.

"This bathroom is for staff only," a male voice called through in a serious tone.

Hikari backed away from Sora and then turned and swung the door open.

"Sorry, Kakashi, we were just leaving," Hikari said with a smile. "Some girl slapped him and her ring cut him, so I was just cleaning up his face; this is the only bathroom with a first aid kit."

Kakashi sighed and then held his head.

"Hikari, you realise how suspicious it is to me that you were just in a locked singular restroom with a boy, right?"

"Yeah, I can see why that would concern most teachers, but honestly, I was only cleaning up his cut," Hikari said as she pulled Sora closer and showed Kakashi his cheek, "see?"

"Next time, bring him to the main office," Kakashi said as he stepped aside.

"Will do, Kakashi," she said with a friendly smile. "Well, I'm off to lunch."


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

**Chapter Twenty-Two:**

"It's a great selection ma'am, perfect for what you're looking for," a salesman told Hikari as he showed her a very expensive-looking camera.

"I think I'm in love," she whispered as she eyed it. "Can I hold it?"

The salesman chuckled and handed the device to her.

"Go ahead and snap a few shots so you can see how you like it," he said as he stood back and watched her fiddle with the settings.

Hikari took the camera in her hands and held it up to her eye once she had adjusted everything to her liking and began to take some pictures.

"Wow, this looks great," she said as she looked through the shots on the screen. "How much is it though? It's not like I need it, it's more of a hobby. I have been thinking of an art college though…maybe a photography class along with my music?"

"Well, this model isn't usually recommended to people who are just trying to take some pictures of Christmas morning, it's more of a professional's camera," the salesman said.

"Well, I know I want to use it for some art purposes, so I know I want a DSLR and I really like this one…" Hikari said as she held it in her hands. "Okay, I'll buy it."

"Great," he said as he took the model and then grabbed one of the boxes from the locked cabinet. "Checkout's this way."

…

Sora sighed and looked at his phone with a raised brow.

"_Since when does Akemi text me_?" he wondered as he looked at the message she had sent. He sighed and tossed his phone on his bed. "_She's just messing with me…probably trying to figure out a way to use me to get Hikari out of her way._"

He took out his English text and began to try and read it, but he only stared at the words; his mind was on his phone and Akemi's message. He shook his head and grabbed his phone before reading the message again.

'_Look, let's help each other out, Hayate._'

"God, I'm hopeless," Sora said to himself as he began to text a reply.

"Why would that be?"

Sora jumped at the sound of his brother's voice and went to stash his phone in his blankets, but Hoshi snatched it out of his hands too fast. He raised his eyebrow at Sora once he had finished reading it.

"What's she doing texting you after all this time?"

"I don't know…I was just about to ask, but then you took my phone," Sora said as he reached out towards the device in his brother's hand.

"She's trouble, Sora," Hoshi said as he gave Sora back his phone. "I advise you to just delete the text and forget she sent it in the first place."

"I can't just pretend that it never happened because she is so persistent she will probably bother me at school," Sora said as he looked towards his brother.

"Well, I'm not here to control your life, but it's a bad idea," Hoshi said as walked further into the room and then leant against the windowsill. "Are you going to Ino Yamanaka's party?"

"She's having a party?" Sora asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah, I heard Sakura's planning on trying to get Hikari to ditch school with them on Friday and go costume shipping with them," Hoshi said as he looked towards his brother with a knowing smirk. "I also know a certain Uchiha who would most likely never go…you'd have her all to yourself."

Sora laughed dryly.

"I don't think Hikari will want to go herself," he said as he looked back down at his phone. "I thought you didn't want me to try for her anyways?"

"Yeah, but when have you ever listened to me anyways?" Hoshi asked as he pushed himself away from the window. "When I leave this room, you're going to text Akemi and then you're going to try and figure out a way to get Hikari to go to that party."

"Well, I guess we're brothers for a reason…someone has to try and stop me from doing stupid things," Sora said with a shrug.

"Well, I'm off…" Hoshi said as he began to stroll towards the exit.

"Wait, how do you know about the girls planning to ditch school?" Sora asked with a raised brow.

"Obviously Tenten told me," Hoshi replied as if the answer was common sense. "I'm going to the party with her."

"Oh, you're finally coming out of the closet to the public?"

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Hoshi asked with a raised brow as he crossed with arms.

"Uh…no, that was just a bad choice of words…" Sora said with a sheepish smile.

Hoshi exited his brother's room shaking his head as he went.

"_If I can get Hikari to go, I could have her all to myself for a night_," Sora thought with a smile. "_No interruptions, no Uchiha, because hell would sooner freeze over then him set foot in Yamanaka's house, and nothing to stop me from kissing Hikari…they do say three times is the charm._"

Sora nodded to himself with a confident smile before picking his phone back up and looking over Akemi's text again; for once, he listened to his brother and deleted it. Whatever help she could offer him, he didn't need it; he'd beat Uchiha on his own.

…

"You want me to ditch school with you today?" Hikari asked as she looked at the car that had pulled in front of her house before she could leave for school; it was a baby-pink Volkswagen Bug and she thought she might puke if she set foot in it. In the two out of three free seats, Ino and Tenten sat.

"We're going to the mall to go costume shopping for Ino's Halloween party, you have to come," Sakura said with a smile as she lifted her sunglasses off her nose and put them on top of her pink head; Hikari thought her and that car matched a little too much.

"Who says I am going to Ino's party?" Hikari asked as she shifted her weight and crossed her arms.

"I say you're going to my party," Ino said as she turned her head and looked at Hikari. "I invited you, it would be social suicide not to go; everyone who is anyone is going to go."

"I'm pretty sure your precious Uchiha isn't going to come and I think you both hold him in your highest regards…" Hikari said with a raised brow.

"Well, that's another reason you're going to come," Ino said as she looked Hikari up and down. "You and Sasuke have been around each other a lot for your projects and it's the gossip right now that he digs you."

"That's totally not true," Hikari said with a roll of her eyes. "We can barely stand in each other's presence for five seconds without wanting to kill each other."

"Well, whatever, Sakura has it in her head that if you come both Sora and Sasuke will come too," Ino said as she looked Hikari in the eye. "Get in the car; you are not going to ruin my party."

"If you think I won't beat your ass for talking to me like that, you have another thing coming," Hikari said in a snarl.

"Hikari, please come?" Sakura asked with a friendly smile. "I don't just want you there because it will make the other two come, but I also want to hang out with you…you're pretty cool."

With Sakura's words, Hikari suddenly remembered Naruto begging her to go so that she could convince Sakura to dance with him.

"_Why am I always being so damn nice_?" Hikari thought with a sigh. "Fine, I will go but only on one condition."

"What's that?" Sakura asked with an excited smile.

"You have to dance at least once with Naruto," Hikari said firmly, "and like you mean it."

Sakura frowned.

"I think you underestimated her, Sakura, she definitely knows how to play," Ino said with a smirk. She turned her head back towards Hikari and then looked her in the eye again. "Deal," she agreed for her frenemy. "Now get in the car."

Hikari looked at Sakura and she nodded hesitantly. Hikari smiled triumphantly and then walked towards Sakura's bug and jumped in the back seat next to Tenten before Sakura sped off.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

**Chapter Twenty-Three:**

"What do you think of this one?" Hikari asked as she held the costume up to her body.

"A pirate?" Ino asked as she looked at the costume with a raised brow. "I don't think you should, Tenten already claimed pirate."

"Okay, well I officially call being a witch," Hikari said as she put the costume back and crossed her arms.

"Fine by me, I was a witch last year," Ino said as he pulled a costume from the rack. "What about this, a queen?"

"I don't know…long flowing skirts don't seem to be your thing Ino," Hikari said as she brought her hand to her chin and examined the costume.

Ino put the costume back and then grabbed another one that was made out of silky baby-blue cloth.

"How about a genie?" Ino asked as she held it up to herself.

"Yeah, I think you could pull it off," Hikari said with a shrug. "Just be careful you don't offend anyone."

Ino sighed.

"The world is so political these days," she said as she put the costume back.

"Hey guys!" Sakura said as she rushed up to them. "Tell me how I look in this costume! Is little Red Riding Hood my thing?

"I don't know, Sakura, it kind of makes you look like a whore," Ino said as she looked the costume up and down.

Hikari lightly hit the blond girl's arm and then looked at Sakura with a smile.

"You look great, and your pink hair brings something different to it too," she said as she put her hands on her hips.

"Oh, I've got the perfect costume here!" Ino said loudly as she pulled another off the rack. "A French Maid!"

"Now who's being the whore?" Hikari asked with a raised brow as she crossed her arms again.

"Oh stuff it, Hikari," Ino said as she huffed and held the costume protectively.

"Look, it even comes with a feather duster," Hikari said with a chuckle as she pointed to the bag attached to the costume. "I wonder what you're going to dust off with that."

"I said stuff it, Koizumi!" Ino shouted as her cheeks tinted red.

"Hey, how does this costume look for you, Hikari?" Tenten asked as she approached the girls. "I heard you say you want to be a witch. Its skirt goes down to just above the knee, but it'd look great on you."

Hikari turned around and saw Tenten holding a witch's dress that had a black skirt with a red belt going around the waist. The fabric on the corset-like torso of the costume was a dark purple and the chest, sleeves, and bottom of the skirt was trimmed with a silky crimson finish.

"It looks like the torso would majorly push up my boobs, which I'd be self-conscious of, but oh-my-god I love it…" Hikari took the costume from Tenten's hands and held it against her body. "Should I try it on, guys?"

"Oh yeah!" Sakura said with a grin. "Then all four of us can be sexy!"

"Not really what I was aiming for, but what the hell?" Hikari asked as she walked towards the change room. "Live a little, right?"

"I'm going to try on the French Maid one too!" Ino exclaimed as she rushed into the stall next to Hikari.

It took Hikari a few minutes to change, and she was glad that once she put the costume on, the skirt wasn't as short as it looked. It did go a few inches above the knee, but it didn't go mid-thigh like Ino's, which made her happy that she wouldn't look like a complete attention-seeker. Hikari put on the hat and smiled at her reflection; Tenten had really found her the perfect costume.

"So, how does they look?" Sakura asked both girls.

"Really awesome," Hikari said as she opened the change room door and stepped out and did a twirl for the two girls. "I am going to have to buy a broom and a pair of shoes to go with it; I think purple-pumps are probably the way to go."

Ino came out next and Sakura gasped.

"Wow Ino, you look really awesome!"

"I'd worry about the attention you're calling upon yourself, especially since you invited Kiba," Hikari said as she looked Ino up and down. "Everyone knows he's a total pervert."

"It's true," Sakura said with a nod, "but the hostess has to look great, so I think it's perfect!"

"Alright, let me go change back into my normal clothes and then we will find Tenten her pirate costume," Hikari said with a grin as she turned back towards her stall.

…

"Okay, I have two questions for you," Hikari said as she set her keys down on the counter and raised her brow at the teen who was sitting on her couch as if he lived in her home. "How did you get in the house and why are you here?"

"The key under the mat and we have to work on our piece for music…we talked about it yesterday, but I could not remind you today because you skipped school," Sasuke said as he looked towards her. "Kakashi wanted to know where you were."

"Skipped school you say?" Hikari asked as she walked further into the house and then past him towards her room. She hung up her new Halloween costume and then put her purse away. "I'm pretty sure I was in bed feeling ill."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and stood from the couch, straightening out his clothes before grabbing his guitar and heading towards the room she had disappeared into.

"What about now? You look fine to me," he said as he set down his guitar and then leant on her door frame and crossed his arms.

"I'm feeling better enough now to let you come over and practice," Hikari said with a smile before she walked towards the door and closed it in his face. "I'm going to change into my pajamas and then we can practice. Make yourself at home."

Hikari left the door and walked towards her dresser, pulling out a purple tank top and a matching pair of black pajama capris that had purple ribbon sewed around the bottoms of the pant-legs. She began to strip down when Sasuke leaned against her door and then spoke again.

"You're going to Yamanaka's party?"

"I don't want to, but unfortunately, I am," she responded as she pulled on the top.

"Why?"

"Naruto practically begged me to go so I could convince Sakura to dance with him," Hikari said as she pulled off her boots and then her jeans. "He's lucky I was able to score that for him."

"Haruno agreed to dance with Dobe?" Sasuke asked with a scoff. "Yeah right."

"Just because she's your fan-girl doesn't mean she can't dance with another boy," Hikari said in a teasing tone as she pulled on the cotton pajama bottoms; she decided she'd change her underwear once Sasuke was gone, she didn't feel comfortable doing it when he could swing her door open at any time.

"I don't mind her dancing with another guy if it means she will leave me alone," Sasuke said as he crossed his arms. "I'm just surprised she agreed, she looks at Dobe like he's a contagious disease."

"Well, she had motivation," Hikari said with a frown as she pulled off her socks and then put all of her dirty laundry in the hamper. She walked to her dresser and picked up her hairbrush. "She really wanted me to go, so I told her the only way I would is if she'd dance with Naruto at least once."

"Why does she want _you_ to go so badly?"

"Are you trying to say something to me, Uchiha?" Hikari asked as she threw her hair up in a sloppy-bun and then walked towards the door and yanked it open. Sasuke caught himself by grabbing the doorframe and kept himself from falling. "Oh, sorry…I didn't realise you were leaning on the door."

He lightly glared at her as he regained himself.

"I meant that Sakura doesn't tend to like any other girls than the ones she hangs out with," Sasuke said as he casually walked past Hikari and into her room, carrying his guitar with him.

"Well, I think she'd feel more threatened by me if she thought I liked you too, but because she knows I don't, she doesn't have a problem with me," Hikari said with a shrug as she walked towards her cello.

"Che, as if _she_ has a chance anyways," Sasuke said with a roll of his eyes as he sat down on her bed and opened his guitar case.

"Why, do you have a special someone?" Hikari asked as she fiddled with her cello, pretending not to be interested. She wasn't sure she why she cared; she just did and wanted to know if Sasuke was seeing someone. She didn't like Sasuke, but she liked the idea of being the only girl he spent time with; Hikari guessed she was just selfish like that.

"Yes," Sasuke said without looking towards her, he too was fiddling with his guitar; Hikari wondered if he was trying to pretend he wasn't interested in what they were saying too. However, she frowned at his words, something about them made something inside her sink; maybe Sora was right, maybe he was playing her. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Oh, there's the asshole I was waiting to hear from," Hikari said with a frown. "You're always like that you know; friendly one moment, hostile the next. I was just trying to have a friendly conversation to get to know you a little better."

"That's funny, because you sounded a lot like one of _them_ when you asked that," he said as he looked up into her eyes.

"A fan-girl?" Hikari demanded as she lifted her gaze and glared at him. "God, get over yourself; you're such an egotistical jackass. I was only trying to get to know you a little bit, trying to be friendly! Are you even familiar with that concept?"

"You're so easy to get worked up, Koizumi," Sasuke said with a smirk as he looked into her eyes.

Hikari was taken aback, and shut her mouth before she could spew more angry things to say at him.

"No, I'm not seeing anyone," he said as he looked back down at his guitar, "I just wanted to see how you'd react if I said I was."

Hikari frowned.

"Why is it that there are moments that I almost think we can be friends?" Hikari whispered as she looked away from him. "You get so close to being a decent human being that I seem to forget what you are most of the time, a jerk." Hikari sighed and closed her eyes before bringing the cello closer to her and positioning her bow. "Let's just play and get this over with so you can go home and I can go to bed."

...

_Please go to my deviantart (I am karnia-delmoto) if you'd like to see Hikari in her Halloween costume. _


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four

**Chapter Twenty-Four:**

"Tonight's the night of the party at Ino's, are you going?" Sora asked Hikari as they walked down the halls.

"Yeah, those girls have convinced me to skip out on the last two periods of class today so that I can help them get Ino's house ready," Hikari said as she looked towards him. "I don't want to help, but they said if I did I could choose some songs for tonight, which might rescue us a little."

"Ah," Sora said with a nod. "Well, I guess I will see you there then."

"You're coming?" Hikari asked with a smile. "Thank god! I won't be completely alone then!"

He smiled and then winked at her before walking away, making her stomach do flips.

"I don't know why they think he will want anything to do with them, he's obviously into you."

Hikari turned around and saw Tenten; she didn't know the brunette very well, but she did know that she was less boy-crazed than Sakura and Ino and was a little older than them. She seemed cool enough for Hikari.

"Hey!" she greeted with a smile. "Are you going to help us decorate?"

"Oh yeah," Tenten said with a grin. "They promised me a few song selections."

"Me too, but I promise I won't choose metal, only some pop-rock I like," Hikari said with a laugh, "something that can be danced to so nobody objects."

"As long as they don't play country, I'm happy," Tenten said as she began to walk; Hikari followed her as a laugh escaped from her lips.

"So, you think they know about Sora's crush on me?" Hikari asked as she bit her lip. "I don't want to make them angry."

"They care more about Uchiha anyways," Tenten answered as she looked over her shoulder. "Just don't go after him and you will be in their good graces."

"That's good," Hikari said with a smile. "Alright, I promised Naruto I would have lunch with him before I left, so I've got to go."

"Do you think Uchiha will come?"

Hikari thought about it for a moment and then laughed.

"I think he'd rather hang himself," she admitted as she continued walking. "See you later, Tenten!"

…

"Alright, that's the last streamer," Hikari said as she taped it to the ceiling.

"This place looks great," Tenten said with approval as she looked around the room.

"Yeah, I'd say so," Hikari agreed as she looked around too. "I guess it's time to get ready and then to wait until people get here. How long's the party going to be anyways?"

"Oh, my parents are out of town for the weekend, so it doesn't matter," Ino said with a large grin.

"Oh boy…I was wondering if you were doing this without permission…now I know," Hikari said with a little bit of a nervous laugh. "Hey Sakura, I heard Kiba is being a wolf to match your costume!"

Sakura's cheeks dusted pink.

"I knew it!" Hikari exclaimed with a smile. "Are you two dating?"

"No!" Sakura said loudly. "We're just friends!"

"Speaking about boys," Ino said as she looked towards Tenten, "what's going on with you and Sora's brother? I thought you were into Neji?"

"Well I was, but I got tired of waiting around for a jerk," Tenten said as she crossed her arms with a shrug. "Hoshi's really nice and why wait for Neji when I have someone like Hoshi interested in me?"

"Well, I hope you're not using Hoshi to make Hyuuga jealous," Hikari said sternly. "Hoshi's a friend."

"No, it's not like that," Tenten said with a smile. "I'm just simply thinking of what's best for me."

"Well in that case, I'm happy for you," Hikari said with a gentle smile.

"I thought Hoshi was gay," Ino said as she crossed her arms and raised her brow.

"No, that was just something he'd always tell the girls who followed him around," Hikari said with a laugh. "Maybe Sasuke should use that trick on you guys, huh?"

"Ha! As if we'd ever believe Sasuke's gay!" Ino said with a smirk. "He's obviously not into guys."

"Yeah, I think you're right," Hikari said with her own smirk, "he's far too into himself to be looking at any members of _either_ sex; I'm pretty sure Sasuke is a narcissist."

"Well, I don't care what you think of my Sasuke, so long as you stay away from him," Ino said with a shrug. "But he's not a narcissist; he's totally into me, he's just too shy to admit it."

"Yeah, I'm not sure 'shy' is the right word to use," Hikari said as she rolled her eyes. "You should just find a guy who likes you for who you are and stop trying to get one who doesn't like you in the first place."

"What do you know?" Ino asked with a huff.

"I have to be around Sasuke a lot since I punched him in the face," Hikari said with a sigh, "I've gotten to know him pretty well."

"You _punched_ my Sasuke in the face?" Ino shrieked at Hikari with widened eyes.

"Uh, that was actually a while ago," Hikari said with a nervous laugh as she rubbed the back of her neck. "He provoked me, I swear."

Ino stomped away in a huff.

"Do you think I made her angry?" Hikari asked Tenten.

"Maybe a little," Tenten said with a laugh. "Here, let's go get changed, the first guests will be arriving soon."

…

There were so many people packed into Ino's living room and the rest of her house that it made Hikari's head spin, and there were still more to come. She recognised about fifty percent of the faces she saw at school, but there were also a lot of unfamiliar people dancing to the loud music that bled from Ino's surround sound speakers. Hikari brought her drink to her lips as she worked her way through the house, seeking out familiar people; it was a little difficult when they were all in costume.

"Hinata!" Hikari said with a smile. "How come you didn't help us decorate the house or go shopping?"

"O-Oh, I had already bought my c-costume," Hinata said as she turned around and gave Hikari a smile. "I'm n-not allowed to cut c-class either."

"Oh…well, you look super cute," Hikari said as she touched the furry cat-ears Hinata wore on her head.

"T-Thank you," Hinata said, "y-you look great too, H-Hikari!"

"Thanks," Hikari said with a large grin. "Have you seen Sora?"

"Yeah, he was looking for you e-earlier; I think he went towards the k-kitchen."

"Alright, I should look for him," Hikari said as she began to walk away. "Thanks!"

"Hey, Hikari!" Sakura said with excitement as she dragged Kiba towards her. "Do we look good together?"

Hikari laughed and looked at Kiba with a brow raised.

"Aren't you supposed to be a wolf, Kiba?"

"Yeah, but I lost my mask," Kiba said with a laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh, well that sucks," Hikari said as she looked around the room. "If I see it, I will give it to you."

"Well, look at this, the superficial bitch isn't disguised anymore," someone said from behind Hikari, "she represents exactly what she is, a witch."

Hikari frowned as she turned to look at who had spoken with a glare; she came face-to-face with Sora's ex-friend, Akemi.

"Excuse me?" Hikari said hostilely.

"I think you heard me judging by your reaction," Akemi said with a smirk as she folded her arms. "I don't know, I think I wear this costume better than you."

Hikari frowned when she realised Akemi was wearing the exact same costume as her.

"Who exactly invited you?" Hikari asked as she folded her arms.

"This is an open door party," Akemi said sweetly, "anyone is welcome, sweetheart."

"Consider yourself uninvited," Hikari said with a snarl, "and get out of my face."

When Hikari looked at Akemi, all she felt was the anger she held inside for what this girl did to Sora; Hikari knew she hurt him badly by the end of their messy break-up, despite what Sora had told her, she could tell by what had happened the other day in the computer lab. She wasn't about to let this girl come and wreck him again.

"I sense a cat-fight," Kiba said as he looked towards Sakura.

"You know, I think someone needs to teach you a lesson about your ego," Akemi said as she stepped closer to Hikari, "you seem to have this idea in your head that you're better than everyone else."

"No, not everyone, just you," Hikari said harshly as she swung her cup towards Akemi and splashed all of the alcohol that was inside it onto her face. "That's for Sora, you conceited bitch."

Akemi's face turned from the fake sweet expression she had been wearing to something of contempt and loathing.

"Why you stupid little whore," Akemi swore as she swung her hand towards Hikari's face.

Akemi's hand was stopped midway by Sakura who, to Hikari's surprise, held it in place.

"Get the fuck out of here, now," Sakura said firmly as she pushed Akemi back and then glared at her.

"Oh no, Sakura," Hikari said as she reached up and took out of her earrings, "I am going to kick her ass. No one comes up to me, talks to me that way and gets away with it." Hikari pushed the earrings in Kiba's hand. "Hold these for me, will you?"

Hikari advanced on Akemi and knew she could win by taking in the other girl's size; she was shorter and scrawnier than Hikari. As Hikari drew forwards, Akemi drew back.

"What, are you scared?" Hikari asked as she crossed her arms. "You came up to me acting awfully big a second ago, where'd that courage go, huh?"

When the crowd realised what was going on, they stopped dancing, talking, and drinking as they all turned towards the commotion.

"You're going to wish you hadn't fucked with me," Hikari said dangerously.

_Fight! Fight! Fight!_

People were cheering around them, but Hikari didn't care, their words meant nothing; in her mind, this was between her and Akemi.

"Whoa, whoa, break this up," someone said as they came up behind Hikari and held onto her arms. "Akemi, get lost. You're not welcome here."

Hikari was taken out of her rage and looked over her shoulder to see Sora, who was dressed like a vampire, glaring at Akemi.

"Seriously, Sora, haven't you seen enough of her true colours?" Akemi asked as she stepped towards him.

"No, just a little of yours, get lost," Sora said firmly, "_or else_."

"Or else what?" Akemi asked strongly with a scowl.

"I will let Hikari do whatever she wants to you," Sora said with a smirk, "she can be pretty vicious; I wouldn't want her angry at me."

Akemi looked at Hikari and then frowned.

"This isn't over," she said to her before pushing her way through the crowd.

"What the _fuck _is her problem?" Hikari demanded with a deep frown pulling at her lips. She sighed and then turned to Sakura. "Hey Sakura, why did you stand up for me like that? I had it covered."

Sakura smiled brightly at Hikari and then returned her earrings to her.

"Because you're my friend, Hikari; no one messes with my friends," Sakura said bravely.

"Well, that was nice of you," Hikari said with a smile. "Thanks, I'm glad you think of me as a friend."

"It's no problem," Sakura said as she smiled again. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to put all this drama behind me and go dance."

Hikari nodded.

"I still want to know what's wrong with that chick…" she said to herself as her smile fell.

"I think she might be jealous of you or something," Sora said as he looked down at Hikari. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Hikari said as she turned around, "I'm fine. I was actually looking around for you when that scene happened."

"Oh yeah?" Sora asked with a smile, showing his fake vampire-fangs.

"Yeah," she said as she smiled in return.

"Come on," Sora said as he pulled Hikari towards the living room, "let's forget that happened and dance."

"Alright," Hikari said with a smile.

As the two walked into the living room, _Shake It_ by _Metro Station_ began to play and Hikari smiled as she began to dance with him. As they danced, Hikari couldn't help but laugh and smile because Sora was smiling at her and making her laugh; his cheerfulness was infectious. She swayed her body to the beat of the song and Sora grabbed her hips. Sora looked directly into her eyes and she froze for a moment; she knew he was going to kiss her, she could_ feel_ it.

"Can I cut in?"

Hikari blinked and stepped back from Sora to see Sasuke.

"How in the hell did they convince you to come here?" Hikari asked with widened eyes, she was just relieved to see that he wasn't in costume; that would have been too much for her mind to handle. "You know this is Ino's house, she probably has a trap waiting around here somewhere so she can lock you in her basement."

Sora snarled.

"I'm going to get a drink," he uttered as he left. Hikari watched him as he went with saddened eyes and also took notice that a new song began to play; it was one of her selections, _Paralyzer_ by _Finger Eleven_.

Sasuke wasted no time in grabbing her hips and pulling her towards him.

"Well, maybe she will back off if I am with you," he said as he looked down at her.

"Uh, maybe," Hikari said as she hesitantly began to dance with him. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I feel perfectly normal, why?"

"One, you willingly came to Ino's party. Two, you're now dancing at Ino's party. Three, you're now dancing with _me _at Ino's party," Hikari said as confusion made her brows scrunch together.

"Better you than Ino," Sasuke said with a smirk. He leant down and chose to whisper in her ear. "Why, am I making you nervous, Koizumi?"

A blush heated her face and electricity worked its way through her numb limbs.

'_Well, I'm not paralyzed, but I seem to be struck by you. I wanna make you move, because you're standing still. If your body matches what your eyes can do, you'll probably move right through me on my way to you.' _

This was nothing like dancing with Sora, this was intoxicating and she didn't want to stop.

"Why'd you come?" Hikari whispered as she began to gain control over her body again and dance on her own without Sasuke moving her hips for her.

"My reasons are my own," he said with a smirk; she could have sworn his eyes flicked towards Sora, but she chose to ignore it, she had imagined it. "Why are you here?"

"Long story that I've already told you," Hikari said as a gasp escaped from her lips as he pulled her closer; they were practically crushed against each other now, everything touching.

Hikari didn't want to admit it, but he was making her nervous.

"Are you drunk?" she tried with a raised brow.

Sasuke let out a snort.

"No."

"You know what? Whatever, let's just dance," she said as she tried to shake off her confusion with the whole situation.

…

"Are you sure you don't want my help now?" Akemi whispered in Sora's ear as he watched Sasuke grind against Hikari with the utmost rage. His eyes flicked down to hers and she smiled, knowing she had caught him.

"What do you have in mind?"

Akemi's smile grew into a smirk.

"You see? I knew you'd warm up to me again."


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five

**Chapter Twenty-Five:**

Hikari held her phone in front of her and texted her father another name with a glare.

_'Akemi Aizawa'_

She didn't care if she knew little to nothing about Akemi and she especially didn't care if her father destroyed Akemi's life; as far as Hikari was concerned, she deserved it.

Hikari sighed and put her phone down on her desk, putting the whole situation that happened at Ino's party the night before in the back of her mind. However, when she thought of Ino's party, Sasuke found his way into her mind. A blush heated her cheeks.

"I can't believe I danced with him like that," Hikari said quietly to herself as she bit her lip. "I can't believe he danced with _me_like that…" She shook her head and broke her trance. "What am I talking about? I am totally into Sora." Hikari sighed and dragged her knees to her chest. "I feel like I am trying to convince myself of that."

Hikari suddenly stood and began to pace back and forth.

"Okay, I need to figure this out," she said to herself as she put her hand on her forehead. "When I danced with Sora, it was normal…it was like dancing with anyone else. I liked it, it was fun. Would I do that again? Yes."

Hikari walked to her window and leaned on the sill, looking out into the night-covered sky.

"When I danced with Sasuke…that was something else; I didn't _want_to stop," Hikari said to herself quietly. "I would most definitely do that again."

Hikari sighed and opened her window, letting her skin drink in the cold November air.

"What is going on in my damned head?" she whispered as she hung her head.

Hikari shook her head again and then stood up straight.

"Okay, I am not going to make this mistake; Sasuke is nothing," Hikari said firmly. "Sora and I have something. End of story."

She sat down in her computer chair again and let out an exasperated sigh.

"I cannot believe I danced with Sasuke over Sora…that must have offended him so much. God, I can be so stupid…"

Hikari got up and then walked to her bed, throwing herself down into the soft comforter.

_"None of this even matters!"_ she exclaimed mentally. _"I'm not here to get a boyfriend; I'm here to be a criminal!"_ Hikari closed her eyes and then opened them with a sigh. _"I'm hopeless…" _

…

"I did you a favour you know."

"What do you want, Aizawa?" Sasuke asked with a roll of his eyes as he crossed his arms and leaned against his locker.

"I'm just informing you that I helped you out," Akemi said with a shrug as she looked Sasuke in the eye.

"Get lost," Sasuke said firmly. "You're annoying, just like those other girls."

"Last week I saw Hikari take Sora into the staff bathroom after I slapped him," Akemi said as she twirled a lock of her hair with a look on her face that would tell any onlookers that she was bored. "I was the one who told Kakashi and probably stopped him from making their flirting game official."

Sasuke looked down at Akemi with a frown.

"Why would that be doing me a favour? I could care less about who Koizumi is with in her spare time," Sasuke said impassively. "Are you done talking now?"

Akemi smirked.

"Oh, so we're playing that game?" Akemi asked as she lifted her finger to her lips. "Yeah, I get it, 'shhh'. I won't tell anyone about the little game you're playing. I guess it makes sense that no one else recognises it, you know, because you've only really done it to me before now. But like I said, I promise it won't escape my lips."

"Che," Sasuke scoffed as he pushed off the lockers and walked past Akemi.

"I've always loved that cool impassive attitude you have…it's like what I said didn't just bother you," Akemi said as she turned to face his backside as he walked away.

"It doesn't; like I said, I don't care about who Koizumi dates."

"And Sakura doesn't have pink hair. You see, Uchiha? We all lie to ourselves. We all have cases of…_denial_."

…

Hikari walked towards the tables in the school cafeteria with her lunch tray clutched in her hands; she decided that today she would sit with Sora in an attempt to make up for Sasuke stealing her away at Ino's party. She was going to play the neutral-card and try to just be friends with both of them, but she had a feeling it wasn't going to work long. She'd try as long as she could because she valued them both as her friends and she was not about to willing play their losing-game with them. As she walked into the large room, her eyes swept to Sora and Hoshi's table and she abruptly stopped walking upon the sight of them.

"What the hell is going on?" Hikari asked herself quietly as her eyes settled on Sora's arm wrapped around Akemi, who sat curled into his side.

"That's totally not cool," Tenten's voice came from behind her. Hikari turned to look at her acquaintance who had spoken. "Didn't she pick a fight with you at Ino's party on Friday?"

"Yeah, she did," Hikari said quietly. "I was going to sit there, but now I don't think I should…"

"If you don't go there, she won't back off," Tenten said as she looked Hikari in the eye. "That's your man, and she's all over him; you need to assert yourself."

Hikari sighed and her grip on her tray tightened.

"I don't feel like fighting," Hikari said as she turned towards the table Sasuke and the rest of the gang sat at, "and I most definitely don't feel welcomed."

"Maybe he's just trying to cheer her up or something?" Tenten suggested as she and Hikari look towards Sora; he was talking animatedly to the girl clinging to his side.

"No, I don't think so…" Hikari said as she frowned and shook her head. "Tell Hoshi I said hello."

Tenten's pity for Hikari was obvious, but despite feeling bad for her she nodded.

"Will do," she said as she turned around and then walked towards the table.

Hikari shook her head and approached the table she hadn't planned on eating at; everyone could tell she was cross by the look on her face, the way she just let her tray drop to the table's surface, and the way she took her seat.

"Hi Kari-chan!" Naruto said excitedly as he stuffed a sandwich in his mouth.

"Hey, Naruto," she said with a sigh.

"What a slut," Sakura said as she gazed at Akemi.

"I know, right?" Ino replied in a hushed whisper. "I mean, they haven't even talked since the ninth grade."

"Can we not talk about that whore?" Hikari snapped as she glared at them.

"Yeah, I heard about how she tried to fight you at my party," Ino said with a smirk. "Don't worry; I know if Sora had let you fight, you would have handed her ass to her."

Ino and Sakura leant close to each other and continued to whisper quiet enough so Hikari could no longer understand their words; it was their lunch time ritual, the exchange of gossip.

Sasuke leant close to Hikari, so close that his lips brushed against her ear; the warmth of his breath made goose bumps appear on her arms and the back of her neck. A blush worked its way to her cheeks and made her forget about Sora and the tramp for just a moment.

"Someone's jealous," he whispered so only she could hear.

Just like that, Sasuke had tortured her, he had made her forget and then brought the topic up again; the fact that he had that kind of power over her was unsettling.

"I'm not jealous," she whispered back in a huff. "I'm just angry that he's such an idiot."

"Practice today?" he asked as he moved away from her ear.

Hikari smiled then as a new thought worked its way into her mind; if Sora was going to use Akemi to hurt her, she would use Sasuke to hurt him.

"Sure, but why don't we just hang out after?" Hikari asked with a raised brow, speaking just loud enough for Sakura and Ino to overhear the conversation; she knew they'd spread the gossip and then it would hit Sora's ears. "Watch a movie or something? We should get to know each other a little better; maybe Tsunade will loosen the leash if we do."

"Whatever, we'll do it at my house," he said with a shrug as he began to eat his lunch.

Hikari smiled as she caught the jealous stares of Sakura and Ino; if Sora wanted to mess with her, she'd mess back.


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six

**Chapter Twenty-Six:**

"So, do you still want to watch that movie?" Hikari asked Sasuke as she gently set his mother's cello back onto its stand.

"Sure," Sasuke said as he stood and stretched. Hikari watched as his black t-shirt lifted and revealed a little of his abdomen. She bit her lip slightly as she got a glimpse of the muscles that hid under his clothing; he was toned and she had the urge to run her fingers over the smooth looking skin.

Hikari's eyes widened as she realised what she was thinking, and she quickly turned away from him.

"Come on, let's go up to my room," he said as he began to walk towards the exit of his garage.

"Excuse me?" Hikari asked with a raised brow.

"To watch the movie…" he said slowly as he turned and looked her up and down.

"Oh, right," Hikari said as she shook her head. "I'm sorry; I am a little scatterbrained right now."

"It's almost nine," Sasuke said as he looked at his watch.

"Really?" Hikari asked with widened eyes. "Maybe I should get home then."

Sasuke shrugged.

"It's your choice," he said as he opened the door and entered his house. "We could order pizza if you want."

"_Hmm, pizza at Sasuke's house while watching a movie_," Hikari thought with a wicked grin. "_I'll just text Sora about it and let him mull over that until tomorrow_."

"That sounds great," Hikari said with a nod as she followed him and gently shut the door to the garage behind her.

As they entered the kitchen, Sasuke took out his cellphone from his back pocket and then searched for the number of the local pizza place. Once he found it, he brought the phone up to his ear and then shoved his other hand in his jean's pocket.

"Order for delivery," Sasuke said dully. "One large peperoni pizza."

Hikari absentmindedly walked into his living room while Sasuke gave his address and phone number to the worker.

"Hello, Hikari, I didn't know you were still here," Itachi said as he walked towards her.

"Is that a problem?" she asked, "I wouldn't want to be a bother; Sasuke and I were just going to watch a movie anyways."

"No, you are welcome here," Itachi said as he walked past her, "any time you like."

"Uh, thanks," she said with a hesitant smile; she couldn't figure it out, but something about Sasuke's brother gave her the chills.

Sasuke walked out of the room and dug into his pocket.

"Itachi can you get the door when the guy gets here? I'll leave the money by the door," Sasuke said curtly as he put thirty dollars on the table by the door. Without waiting for his brother's reply he headed towards the stairs. Hikari quickly followed him, not wanting to be alone with his brother.

She knew that Sasuke didn't like his brother, there was always obvious tension when they were together, but she was still curious as to why. She figured it had something to do with the car accident that killed their parents, but she was also trying not to assume things about their life when she really had no idea at all; people usually hated that.

When she entered his room, she followed him to the couch that his TV and PS3 sat in front of and then watched as he walked towards his bookshelf and then dropped to the bottom shelf.

"Any genre in mind?" he asked dully as he looked over his shoulder.

"Well, it is the Halloween season…why not something scary?" she asked as she sat down and then crossed her legs. In truth, she hated horror movies, but she wasn't about to let him know that.

Sasuke grabbed some case and then put a DVD into his PS3 and some unknown movie began to play. He sat down next to her on the couch, leaving a gap between them, as he put his arm on the back of the cushions. Seeing his arm like that, she had the urge to move closer to him, but she ignored it. Why she was even having all these strange impulses around Sasuke was beyond her. Hikari just secretly hoped that he picked a movie that was only mildly frightening, because she didn't want to be scared out of her wits in front of him and end up crushed against his side anyways.

She was not in luck.

The movie was one of those movies that made you jump by having scary things pop out at you; those were the ones she hated most. Sasuke was perfectly calm next to her, impassive even, as he watched the flick with his jaw resting on the back side of his fingers. Hikari, on the other hand, sat as if she was calm but anyone could see she was restless and anxious by the look on her face. Sasuke flicked his eyes to her and smirked with amusement.

"What?" she snapped as she looked towards him.

"You're scared," he said smugly.

"No, just startled," Hikari said as she crossed her arms. "I always jump when things pop out."

For the next twenty minutes she watched people be killed in all kinds of terrible ways and freaky things jump out at the screen. She was just thankful he hadn't chosen _It_; she had a terrible fear of clowns after watching that movie when she was younger. She hadn't noticed that as time went on, she had drawn closer to him on the couch. A woman on screen let out a blood curdling scream as the killer got closer to her. Hikari grabbed onto Sasuke's shirt and squeezed as she anticipated the woman's death, her eyes completely transfixed on the screen.

"Guys," Itachi said as he opened Sasuke's door.

Hikari jumped away from Sasuke and then turned towards Itachi with a nervous glance. Sasuke sighed and then paused the movie with the controller as he looked towards his brother dully.

"Your pizza's here," Itachi said as he walked into the room and set it down on the table in front of them.

"Thanks," Hikari said with a smile.

Itachi nodded at her before leaving the room again and shutting the door behind him.

Sasuke reached forwards and took a slice before pressing play again. Hikari sat there for a moment, staring at the TV and not quite knowing what to do with herself. She was sure she had just been clinging to Sasuke without even realising what she was doing. Did he think badly of her for it? Did he think she was some kind of crazed fan-girl?

"_He hasn't said anything_," she thought with a small frown upon her lips as she studied his face. "_Maybe he didn't think much of it._"

Hikari chewed on the inside of her lip before pushing the thoughts out of her mind and taking a slice of the pizza. As she drew her eyes back to the movie, she knew she didn't want to sit by herself on the couch near the window, she also knew that she had felt better the small amount of time she had been curled into Sasuke's side. Hikari swallowed and looked at Sasuke before she hesitantly, as if she was a skittish animal, scooted closer to his side again, letting his arm drape around her as they watched the rest of the movie together.

…

Sasuke looked towards the screen that had just begun to roll the credits and then towards the pizza box, there were only two slices left. He looked down at Hikari and saw she was fast asleep, breathing easy as her head rested on his shoulder and her hands clung to his arm. He sighed as he gently pulled his arm from her and then moved so he could lower her onto the couch.

He hesitated before going to get ready to sleep, looking at her face. He couldn't see her violet doe-like eyes, but the rest of her face was clear to him; her soft looking alabaster skin, her pouty, but full, lips and her slightly upturned nose. He hadn't expected to like her the way he had started to as of late. In the beginning, it was only a game to him. But now, things were different and he didn't know what to do with himself. He wasn't interested in a relationship, but he didn't want her to run off to Sora when he would eventually reject her advance.

Sasuke shook his head and then sighed before walking away from her and then towards his bed; he'd sleep on the issue and think of it another night when Hikari wasn't asleep on his couch.

…

Hikari sat up abruptly and the blanket that someone had placed on her fell from her chest down onto her lap. She wasn't sure where she was at first; the room she was in was completely unfamiliar. It took her a few seconds to process she was still in Sasuke's house. A blush creeped its way onto her face as she made the realisation that she had not only slept at Sasuke's house, but she had slept on his couch andin his _room_.

"_Did he sleep in here too_?" she wondered as her eyes drifted to his empty bed. "_He must have gotten up already if he did_…"

Hikari stood and then frowned as she realised she was wearing the clothes she wore the day before. She was lucky that she kept a spare pair of jeans in her car just in case. She would have to get those and then change before going to school, she would also have to wear the same shirt; that made her frown again.

"_School_!" she thought with widened as she darted towards Sasuke's alarm clock. "_It's noon! I am so late_!"

Hikari turned only to be greeted by Sasuke who had just stepped out of his washroom. He wasn't wearing a shirt and her eyes automatically trailed to his chest, his subtly toned chest. Her cheeks heated again as her eyes met his own again.

"Good afternoon," she murmured as she bit her lip.

Sasuke nodded at her and continued to walk further into his room until he got to his dresser. He opened it and retrieved a shirt, putting it on as soon as he had closed the draw. Hikari felt slightly disappointed, she had liked looking at his chest.

"Do you have clothes?" he asked as he looked up at her.

"I have an extra pair of jeans in my car, but that's it," Hikari said with a shrug. "I'll just wear this shirt again."

Sasuke opened his dresser draw again and then tossed her one of his graphic t-shirts. It was black with crimson designs splashed onto the front of it.

"Uh, thanks," she said with a small smile. "I'm going to use the washroom."

She turned around and then retreated into the room, shutting the door behind her. She flicked on the light and then took off her white and black blouse before pulling his shirt on. She pulled her hair out from under the neckline and let it hang down her back. The shirt smelled like Sasuke and his car, it was the subtle musty-forest sent that seemed to cling to the teen in question. She really liked his smell; it made her think of walking through a forest after it had rained. She brought the collar of the shirt to her nose and inhaled the smell with a small smile on her lips. She was pretty sure that after such a great night of getting along with Sasuke and the butterflies she was feeling in her stomach that nothing could ruin her day. She was going to make sure of it.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

**Chapter Twenty-Seven:**

"She stayed over his house, Akemi!" Sora said as he ran his hands through his tousled black hair, his grip twitching as his fingers turned white with obvious tension and frustration leaking from his actions. He advanced on her and the look in his eyes, wild and angry, made her retreat until she was pressed against the brick wall of the school building. "You said this wouldn't happen!"

"It won't," she hissed as she pushed him away. "Just let her warm up to him and little bit and then he will drop her like a sack of stones in a lake!"

"She's wearing his shirt. For all I know, they probably fucked!" Sora yelled as he glared at her. "You said I could win if I did this!"

"And you will!" Akemi hissed back. "I wouldn't screw this up for you because you're not the only one who has something to gain!"

Sora looked into her eyes with his own narrowed ones.

"Even if I finally beat that prick, he will never take you back," Sora said harshly. "He's toyed with you and now he's done with you. How's the old V-card doing by the way? Did he take that too? Oh wait I forgot, he didn't want you anymore."

Akemi snarled and launched her hand at his face, making it turn from the impact of her slap.

"Don't you dare criticise me for my decisions," she said coolly. "You may have gotten away with telling that precious princess some sappy 'I'm the victim' story, but we both know who took my virginity and it sure as hell wasn't him. He wouldn't touch me once he knew it was you! He left me because you did that!"

"Don't make it sound like you didn't enjoy it too," he said as he looked down at her with dark eyes. "You came crawling back like you always do and begged."

"Have you ever thought for a moment that perhaps I regret it?" Akemi asked with a frown curling her lips; her eyes began to rim with tears. "God, if she ever pisses you off like I did, you can forget trying to treat her like you treat me; she won't stand for you acting like she should be taken to the curb."

"There's a fine line between you and Hikari," Sora whispered as he stepped closer to her and whispered in her ear, "you _are_ the trash at the curb that no one wants."

Akemi's rage spiked and, before she realised what she was doing, she shoved him back again and then spit at his face, aiming for his eyes.

"I swear, if I didn't need your cooperation, I'd kill you," she said harshly as she glared into his icy-blue orbs.

"Well, I guess I'm lucky I don't have to look over my shoulder just yet," he hissed as he backed away from her and began to walk away. "I'm going to go and try to talk some sense into that girl…once I have her, I'm done with you."

Akemi stepped forwards and curled her hands into fists.

"You can't get anywhere without me, bastard!"

Sora ignored her and continued to walk away until he got to the doors of the school and then entered the building. The tears Akemi had been holding back in her green eyes began to fall and she backed up against wall, holding her breath. Slowly, she slid down the wall until she was curled within herself on the ground, crying into her knees.

…

"No, Naruto…the book's title is not literally about killing a bird," Hikari said with a shake of her head as she rolled her eyes.

"Then what else does '_To Kill a Mockingbird_' mean?" he asked loudly as he followed her with a smile plastered on his face.

"Did you even read the whole book?" Hikari asked with a sigh. "I swear, you are so hopeless, Naruto."

"No…I didn't," he admitted. "Tell me what the title's about!"

"The one of the things the book is about is Tom Robinson going on trial for murder right?" Hikari asked with a raised brow as she turned to him with her hands planted on her hips.

"Yeah! But he didn't kill the lady! The only good hand he had was the one that the lady wasn't punched with," Naruto answered. "I still don't get why it's called what it's called."

"Naruto, he's the mockingbird," Hikari said as she shook her head. "Both he and Boo Radley are the mockingbirds. Do you get it now? The book's about putting the man on trial for a crime he didn't commit, which the sentence is death for, thus you get the title '_To Kill a Mockingbird_'. Atticus says that killing a mockingbird is a sin because all they do is sing, it draws a parallel to what happens to Tom Robinson because he was depicted as never being able to hurt anyone and being very helpful."

"That does make sense," Naruto said as he crossed his arms and nodded his head. "You're pretty smart with this stuff, Kari-chan…Sasuke's lucky to get a partner like you in class."

"Why thank you, Naruto," she said with a smile as she began to walk again.

"Can I speak to you?"

Hikari turned her head towards the voice that had sounded and saw Sora behind her.

"I don't know. Can you?" she asked with a frown.

Sora let out a shaky breath.

"May I speak to you, Hikari?"

Hikari looked at Naruto and then gave him an apologetic smile.

"I will see you tomorrow," she said quietly.

"Yeah," he said as he waved. "Thanks for explaining that to me, Kari-chan!"

Hikari waited until he had walked out of earshot before she turned towards Sora.

"Do you care to step outside?" he asked as he looked around the hallway. "It's crowded in here."

"Sure," she said as she turned and began to walk towards the foyer. Once she was outside, she turned to him and crossed her arms.

"We need to talk," he said as he stepped towards her.

"I think we do," Hikari said bitterly. "What the hell were you doing with Akemi Aizawa yesterday?"

Sora's jaw tightened.

"That's not what I came to talk about…"

"Well, that's what_ I_ want to discuss!" Hikari spit forcefully. "I believe I am entitled to that after that little show yesterday."

"God, what do you want from me, Hikari?" Sora demanded as he threw his hands up in the air. "If you're just going to toy with me, I'm not going to sit back and take it like some love-sick loser! If you don't want me, I have the right to move on!"

"Who implied that I didn't want you?" Hikari demanded as her tone began to rise.

"You did!" Sora bellowed as his fists balled. "You're all over Uchiha, for fuck's sake, you're wearing his shirt!"

"Do I need to explain every little thing to you?" Hikari yelled as she pointed towards him and took a step towards him. "I happened to be at his house watching a movie and I fell asleep. He didn't wake me up and I didn't have a shirt this morning, so he let me borrow one! Why do you have such a problem with him being my friend?"

"Because he's not good for you!" Sora yelled back as he took a step towards her; they were close now, up in each other's faces and angry.

"Not good for me? Since when do you make those decisions? What are you, my father?"

"Hikari, he's just using you!" Sora shouted. "He just wants to fuck you and then be done with it. Don't you see that I'm trying to protect you!?"

"And you think I'm some sort of easy whore who would just let Sasuke do whatever he wants with me?" Hikari asked with disgust as she stepped away from him. "I'm starting to think you're the one who wants in my pants so badly!"

"Hikari, you don't know how he charms girls like you," Sora said with frustration clear in his tone.

"So you do think I'm that easy?" Hikari asked with a snarl. "That's it; maybe I will go fuck him just to spite you!"

"Whatever, if you want to go be some sort of slut for him, I don't want you anyways," Sora hissed. "If you're willing to go that far, you're just trash."

Hikari hand hit the air so fast, but before she could hit him, she stopped herself. Instead, she drew closer to him and pointed at his chest.

"We're done," she whispered hostilely with a glare burning in her eyes. Hikari stepped away from him and then turned back towards the school, swiftly walking back up the steps.

"Hikari!"

She stopped and then turned on him; she tried very hard to keep her composure, but her body shook with the rage she was feeling.

"Don't!" she yelled as she curled her hands into fists. "Don't you dare speak to me! We're done!"

Before Sora could respond, she marched back up the rest of the stairs and yanked open the school door, entering the building with obvious anger leaking from the way she composed herself.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Eight

**Chapter Twenty-Eight:**

Hikari sighed and looked at her phone for the fifth time that morning.

'_You stayed over Sasuke's house_!?'

"Another outraged text," Hikari said with a sigh as she put her phone away. "I swear, it's like the end of the world for these people or something."

Hikari looked around the music room and relaxed in her chair. She had gone straight to the room from her car, not really being too interested or keen on talking to anyone that morning; naturally, she had gotten there before anyone else.

Her phone buzzed again. She was hesitant to take it out, but like she had told herself many times that morning, it could be important. Her violet eyes gazed at the screen dully, but she was interested to see that it was Tenten who was texting her.

'_Akemi's going around saying you're a whore. You'd better watch out for her, I think she has it out for you_.'

Hikari snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Takes a whore to know one," she uttered as she began to text her reply.

"Hikari!"

Hikari looked up from the screen of her phone and saw Sakura rush into the music room. By the look on her face, someone would think a close relative had died, but Hikari had a feeling that the urgent matter was something much shallower.

"Hey," Hikari said indifferently as she finished texting Tenten before locking her phone and putting it back in her pocket. She looked up at Sakura and gave the girl a soft-smile, hoping to disarm whatever assault the girl might be planning. "What's up?"

Sakura faltered when she absorbed Hikari's laidback attitude, but continued to walk towards the girl, a little calmer.

"Is it true? Please tell me it's not," Sakura pleaded with her as she took a seat next to Hikari. "You're the only girl I can trust around here besides Hinata."

"Is what true?" Hikari said with a raised brow as she crossed her arms.

"Is it true that you and Sasuke had sex the night before last?" Sakura asked with widened as large as dollar coins.

"Sakura," Hikari said as she closed her eyes and tried to release a steady breath. "Think about what you're asking me. Now think about how you know me to be. What do you think?"

Sakura looked down at her hands.

"I would say you didn't," she responded quietly.

"Then why are you asking me?" Hikari asked as she shook her head.

"Because I don't want to trust a rumor, I thought it'd be better to go to you," Sakura said, but her voice gave away her shame.

"You thought you'd come and see if I had 'ruined' our friendship because I slept with Sasuke," Hikari said bitterly as she refused to look at the pinkette. "Let me ask you this…if I had slept with Sasuke, why would you hate me? I'm still the same person I've always been, that doesn't change just because I fucked someone."

"But, you know that-"

"That you like him?" Hikari asked as she cut her off. "Yeah I know that, but I also know that deep down you realise he has no interest in you. Why wreck our friendship for something that would never happen. It's not as if I stole him from you."

Sakura sighed.

"A couple of us heard about what happened with Sora…is this really about him?" Sakura asked as she dared to look up into Hikari's eyes. "You're being unusually cruel."

"This has nothing to do with Sora!" Hikari snapped. "This is about everybody in this school thinking I am some kind of whore because I showed up wearing Sasuke's shirt! We watched a movie, I fell asleep on his couch and I didn't have an extra pair of clothes the next morning. For fuck's sake, this wouldn't be a problem if I had stayed at your house or some other girl's house; it's just a fucking problem because I don't make friends with girls!"

"I don't think you're a whore," Sakura said as she frowned.

"But god knows you would have told everyone just that if I had slept with him," Hikari said bitterly. She swiftly turned to her and then frowned as she realised she had almost made Sakura cry. "Look, I have had a lot of shit happen to me lately…I don't feel like talking about this."

Sakura let out another sigh.

"I'm sorry, Hikari, I didn't mean to upset you," Sakura uttered quietly as she stood and walked towards the exit of the room. As soon as she was gone, Hikari wanted to kick herself for being so mean; she hadn't meant to be.

It didn't take much longer for the class to begin shuffling into the room and taking their instruments out. As she watched them scurry about she found herself wishing she had worn something warmer than a black cardigan over her shirt and a thin purple scarf around her neck; the cold air was beginning to seep into the school. Before she could think much more about it, Sasuke took his rightful seat next to her and she was relieved to have at least one person near her that didn't think she was some kind of attention-seeking tramp.

"Hey," she uttered as she looked towards him. "I threw your shirt in the wash…I'll bring it in tomorrow."

"Keep it," he said coolly as he began to take out his guitar.

"But it's yours," Hikari said as she raised her brow. Something about the way he had spoken to her made her heart sink into her stomach; it was too cold for her liking.

"You wore it, I don't want it anymore," he explained as if the concept should have been common sense.

She had expected the harsh words, but his tongue was like a whip and his words stung; she thought that maybe he had warmed up to her, but instead his first words that day had served to make her feel like there was something wrong with her. Sasuke continued to tune his guitar and Hikari looked up at Sora only to see him flip her the bird and give her a triumphant smirk that leaked 'I told you so' from his expression. Hikari felt her stomach sink as she looked down towards Sakura, the girl dropped her sea-green eyes from Hikari and turned towards the front. It was barely nine and she had already begun to feel like a lonely island that no one dared to approach.

Hikari was the last person to get up from her seat and begin to put away her instrument, by the time she had started, everyone else had left the room. Sasuke hadn't said a word to her all class, which made her feel steadily worse as time went on, Sora refused to even look at her and she had effectively scared Sakura and her crew off. Hikari felt so isolated, like all of them had gotten together and planned to try and make her cry.

"Is everything alright, Hikari?"

Hikari looked up and swiftly wiped her tears from the rims of her eyes.

"Uh, yeah, everything is fine…erm, Ms. Koizumi," Hikari said awkwardly.

Her substitute teacher flashed a smile, one that made Hikari feel a little less terrible.

"I know it must be hard to get used to, having the same last name and all," Asami said as she walked closer to her. "Is there something you'd like to talk about? You look upset."

"I have to get to Kakashi's class," Hikari said as she picked up her books and her bag.

"I'm sure he won't mind," Asami said reassuringly. "He has a soft spot for me; I can write you a note if you want to talk."

"I don't know," Hikari said hesitantly, "no offense Ms. Koizumi, but I don't know you…at all."

Asami smiled brightly so that wrinkles appeared near her eyes; the lines made from laughter made her seem sincere.

"That's why it's perfect," Asami said as she touched Hikari's shoulder. "I'm a fresh set of ears. I don't know you and you don't know me. I can look at whatever's bothering you with unbiased eyes and I can't judge you for it because I don't know you."

Hikari had to admit that her teacher's offer was tempting. Without giving it anymore though, she sat down and then put her books on Sasuke's empty chair. Asami pulled one of the other chairs closer and then sat down, crossing her legs and letting her folded hands rest in her lap.

"Just get whatever you need to off your chest and I will listen, okay?"

Hikari sighed and then relaxed in the chair.

"Well, I was new here as of a few months ago," Hikari said as she crossed her arms. "Right away, I decided I hated Sasuke Uchiha. He was a complete jerk to me and I got turned off by his personality. I befriended Sora Hayate pretty quickly based on our mutual dislike for Sasuke. I got into some trouble in the first or second week because I clocked Sasuke in the face for being an asshole."

"Yes, I have been notified about that," Asami said as she shook her head with a faint trace of a smile on her lips. "They made it explicitly clear that you must do all group assignments with Mr. Uchiha down in the office."

"However, as the months have been going on I drew close to Sora, so close that we came really close to kissing a few times, but Sasuke always seemed to interrupt us somehow…" Hikari said as she bit her lip. "Sora was convinced that Sasuke was doing it on purpose and I kept on defending him. So while Sasuke and I began to warm up to each other, Sora and I began to fight. It all kind of went downhill from there. You see, Sasuke has this tendency to be really bipolar with me…one moment, he's very nice and then the next he's a total jerk. I can't figure out what I feel about him because of it. However, Ino held a party on Halloween and I attended. I was spending my time with Sora there, though we didn't go together officially, but then Sasuke suddenly showed up and asked me to dance." Hikari sighed and then looked away from Asami and rolled her eyes. "This is so stupid…why am I talking about this?"

"Don't stop talking," Asami said gently, "you're venting and you're already starting to feel better…I can see it on your face. Now go on and finish, I promise you will feel better."

"Out of nowhere these feelings for Sasuke crashed into me and the ones I had for Sora seemed to dim in comparison," Hikari said bitterly. "A couple of days ago I was at Sasuke's place and we watched a movie. I fell asleep on his couch and then wore his shirt the next morning because I had no clothes. I swear they want to tie you to the stake around here for wearing a guy's shirt."

Asami sighed and then shifted in her chair.

"The school-staff was informed of this yesterday, it seems there has been some talk of death-threats from some of the girls around here," Asami said gently.

"Oh yeah, I've gotten some of them by text," Hikari said with a frown. She bit her lip as her eyes began to well with tears. "I haven't done anything wrong, so what justifies people treating me this way? I feel terrible for something I didn't even do."

"Absolutely nothing justifies the behaviour that some of the students have been directing towards you," Asami said sternly. "Even if the rumors were true, that is no reason to act the way they are. Have you tried to talk to your friends? Why not seek comfort in them?"

"I bit off Sakura's head this morning for asking me about the rumors and she is really my only friend that's a girl," Hikari said with a shrug. "Sasuke's in one of his mood swings again, which makes me think Sora was right about him, and Sora wants nothing to do with me. I feel like I have nowhere to go. Even if I did want to talk to my other friends, Sasuke would tell me to get lost and I couldn't sit with Sora after this morning. Everything just suddenly crashed down onto me and I feel like I'm drowning."

Asami closed her eyes in thought for a moment and then looked directly into her eyes again.

"I feel like Sasuke doesn't know what he wants and Sora feels like he's not welcome in your circles," Asami said as she stood. "I think you need some distance. I have an idea for something to take your mind off of everything."

Hikari watched Asami walk away and then return from her office with a sheet of paper in her hands. She handed it too Hikari.

"I highly recommend you do this, it will give you some time to be alone and think," she said with a smile.

"A talent contest?" Hikari asked as she looked up at her teacher with a frown.

"Doing something on your own and for yourself will restore your confidence and comfort with being able to handle loneliness when it strikes. No one can go without it, so you should learn to work around it," Asami said gently. "If you can prove to yourself that you're capable on your own, you can prove it to them."

"What can I do though other than play cello?" Hikari asked as she looked up at Asami.

"Can you sing?" she asked as she crossed her arms and brought her hand to her chin.

"A little, I guess," Hikari said with a shrug.

"Well, why don't I coach you on some of the days I come to visit?" Asami asked with a raised brow. "I am a vocal coach, so it's a good opportunity."

"Come to visit?" Hikari asked as she tilted her head.

"Oh? Kakashi hasn't told you?" Asami asked with a little bit of a laugh. "I'm the one he's been dating. I come over quite often, but it always seems to be when you're at Sasuke's. I think Kakashi wants you to adjust to the house or something before he has company."

Hikari smiled to herself and shook her head; hearing Asami make Kakashi sound like he worried about her wellbeing made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Hikari looked at the paper and then back at Asami.

"You know what? Why not," Hikari said as she looked back up at Asami. "I'm in."

Asami grinned.

"Okay, but I get to choose the song…something to get back at everyone who wants to say something bad to you."

"Uh, alright," Hikari said with a shrug. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Asami said as she began to walk away from Hikari and towards her desk.

"Why are you doing all this? You don't even know me and you're looking out for me?"

Asami smiled again as she looked over her should.

"We're both Koizumi, we might as well be family. I look out for my kin," Asami said strongly. "It's as simple as that."

Hikari smiled and nodded.

"I like you, Ms. Koizumi."

Asami laughed.

"You can call me Asami; it must be weird to call me Ms. Koizumi."


	29. Chapter Twenty-Nine

**Chapter Twenty-Nine:**

Hikari was aware that she was angry most moments of the days that had flown by since Asami had offered to coach her for the talent show. She was angry at Sora, Sasuke, Sakura, Akemi, and pretty much anyone else who wanted to get in her business. She was in no mood to really talk to anyone, so after school she'd head directly home and do any school work she had to do. As for working with Sasuke on projects, she emailed Sasuke her portion of the work but made no extra effort to talk to him. The only positive influence she had gained was Asami, who she had learned was actually a really nice but fun-loving woman and quite a good teacher.

As it turned out, the show was a school wide event that many students were signing up for because a generous sponsor had donated two thousand dollars to the three lead acts. One thousand dollar for the victor and then five hundred for the second and third place acts. Naturally, many of the students were trying to get their hands on the money. Hikari was only doing it because Asami had suggested so. Hikari had already decided that on the off chance she won, she'd donate the money into the school.

"Is Asami coming over today?" Kakashi asked from the couch as Hikari stepped into the kitchen to find herself a snack.

"Yeah, she's going to have dinner here and then tutor me before spending time with you," Hikari replied as she took an orange from the counter and began to peel it over the garbage can. "Sorry for stealing your girlfriend away."

"It's not a problem," he said as he flipped the page of the book he held in his hand. "She said you were having a tough time."

"Yeah, I went and made a bad reputation for myself," Hikari said with a frown. "Maybe I should call Sakura and apologise."

"Maybe you should," he said as he continued to read.

"Yeah," Hikari said quietly as she finished peeling the orange and then began to open it.

"So, you're going to sing in the talent show?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"Yeah, Asami seems to think I have a better voice than I really do, so she's convinced I should," Hikari said with a shrug. "I would have rather played the cello…it's easier for me to express emotion with it."

"You will find that as you get to know Asami once her mind is set on something, it does not change easily," Kakashi replied as he put a book mark on the page and then closed his book. "What are you singing?"

"No clue," Hikari said as she popped one of the pieces in her mouth. "She said she'd bring the song tonight."

"What have you been doing all those times she came over?" Kakashi asked with a raised brow. "The show's in two weeks."

"She was training my voice to get rid of pitch problems and working on expanding my vocal range," Hikari said as she ate another piece. "Technical stuff, now it's time to learn the song she wants me to sing."

"Well, I wish you luck," Kakashi said as he stood and stretched.

"Yep, I am going to need it," Hikari said with a bitter shake of her head. "It seems Akemi Aizawa also tried out and got a spot in the show."

"And what's her talent?" Kakashi asked with a raised brow.

"Being a whore?" Hikari asked with a shrug. "Who knows?"

"You shouldn't talk like that about people," Kakashi said with a sigh as he walked towards her and put his hand on her shoulder. "It's not something you girls should be spitting back and forth at each other."

"Well, I could care less about if I hurt her with my _words_ at this point," Hikari said as she trashed the last few pieces of her orange. "I've suddenly lost my appetite…I'm going to go to the park and photograph some pictures of the ice that's forming on the pond. I'll be back before dinner."

"Hikari, you don't need to be so bitter about whatever happened, it's just high school drama," Kakashi said with a frown pulling at his lips.

"I'm not bitter," Hikari hissed as she walked back towards the hallway that led to her room, "that would imply that it's in the past and that it's done and over with…I'm still pissed."

…

Hikari walked around the pond and found her perfect angle before kneeling and taking shots of the ice forming on the dark water's surface. She always loved the way it looked when the shimmery ice abruptly ended and was replaced by still waters. She stood after snapping many shots and looked around the park, it was towards the end of November and the snow had already started to fall. A shiver ran down her spine and let out an uneven breath before hugging her jacket closer to her body. She put her camera in its protective bag and then put that in her messenger bag that was slung around her shoulder. As she began to walk down the path that would lead her out of the park and on her way home, she heard soft acoustic notes whisper with the wind that blew. She raised her brow and then turned towards the source of the music. As she got closer, she realised that a male began to sing.

"_Bury all your secrets in my skin. Come away with innocence and leave me with my sins. The air around me still feels like a cage and love was just a camouflage for what resembles rage again…_"

Whoever it was, they had an incredibly raspy tone, but it sounded so unique and amazing. Hikari crept closer being careful to be quiet so she could hear more.

"_So if you love me let me go…and run away before I know. My heart is just too dark to care. I can't destroy what isn't there. Deliver me into my fate; if I'm alone I cannot hate. I don't deserve to have you. My smile was taken long ago…if I can change I hope I never know._"

Hikari knew she had heard the song before, but she had never really listened to it. Now that she heard it being played and sung by someone who was so good at delivering emotion that she could hear their pain, it felt like a downward spiral. She crept closer and peeked around the trees that hid the person from her sight and literally felt like she had the wind knocked out of her when she took in who it was; she didn't know Sasuke could sing, and she definitely didn't know he could sing like _that_. He stopped playing suddenly and the sound of his voice cut off. Hikari felt herself grow worried and thought that maybe she should dash away before he knew she was there.

Sasuke leaned back against the bench and relaxed his fingers on the neck of his guitar and his other hand on the body. Hikari wanted to get out of there, but she was curious about what he was doing. She only hoped he would not turn around to see her spying on him from a distance.

"I know you're there," he confronted loud enough for her to hear. Her heart skipped a beat and a wild blush stained her cheeks almost instantly. She kicked herself for not running while she should of.

Hikari walked towards him at a slow pace, every step feeling as if her foot was struggling against her will to get to him. The seconds felt like millennia and the silence was suffocating; however, she eventually was standing in front of him, not knowing what to do with herself and looking awkward.

"Uh, hi," she said as she looked away from him.

"You were spying on me," he observed with a frown as he looked her up and down.

"Actually, no," Hikari said as she curled her toes within her boots; she felt like a child being scolded. "I was here snapping some shots for a personal project and happened to hear someone singing…I wanted to get a closer look."

"Well, perhaps that person being in a secluded area of the park might have suggested they didn't want to be found or spied on," he said impassively. Something about the way he said his words, as if her very existence didn't matter to him, hurt her. She would have rather him gave her some kind of coldness or anger because then she would at least know he felt _something_ towards her.

Hikari bit her and lip and turned away from him.

"I don't need this right now," she said in a whisper as she took a few steps away from him.

"You act as if I am in the wrong," Sasuke said calmly.

Hikari looked over her shoulder and then frowned; the side of her that desperately wanted to give him a piece of her mind took over and her anger began to heat her blood.

"Listen here," she said as she turned around and began to stomp towards him, "you _are_ in the wrong. You need to make up your fucking mind, because I am getting so sick of your bipolarity!"

"Make up my mind?" he asked as if mild curiosity had dragged him out of boredom, however, she could also hear a sarcastic note to his tone.

"I don't know what it is with you," Hikari said harshly, "I don't know if you just like toying with people, but it's sick. You're sick and I hate it!"

"If you hate it so much, then why don't you turn around and walk away?" he asked. He held out his hand, as if showing her to a door.

"Because I-" Hikari cut herself off and then bit her lip. "…because I think there is a good person underneath all of," Hikari waved her hand and gestured to all of him, "…that."

Sasuke stood and then walked towards her, he got so close that she could feel the heat radiating off his body.

"Just say it," he demanded as he looked directly into her eyes. Her heart leapt into her throat as his dark eyes stared deep into her being.

"I…I-"

"You what, Hikari? You told me to listen and now it seems your words have failed you," he said with cruelness icing over his words; it made her want to break out in tears right there in front of him.

"What do you want me to say to you?" she demanded as she tried to control the sorrow that had come over her and made her shutter. "That I feel something for you? That I want nothing more than for you to feel the same way about me even though I know you don't!?" She paused as tears began to well in her eyes. "I don't understand why you want to make someone feel this way…it's so cruel."

"You are right about one thing, Hikari," he said as he continued to stare into her eyes with his own. She hung on every word that came from his mouth as if her life depended on it. The way he had said those words was as if he was going to reveal something positive to her. It made her hope lift for this situation just a little bit. "I don't feel anything for you."

The tears began to fall and disintegrate into the snow as they hit the ground. Her whole body shook and her heart felt as if it has just taken a beating. He hadn't only rejected her feelings, but he had rejected the friendship they had formed and completely destroyed one of the bonds she had come to trust as time went on; she had felt like Sasuke understood her in some unspoken way and she truly felt that out of everyone who turned on her, Sasuke would not be one of them.

"You must really revel in watching people break," Hikari uttered as she dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands. "I guess you just want to drag everyone down with you."

Hikari averted her eyes and refused to look at him before turning around and beginning to walk away from him; with every step, she felt herself become more hysterical. She just wanted to escape to her room and shut herself away from the world.

"Where are you going?" He didn't even sound curious, Hikari wondered if he had just asked to rub his rejection in.

"Home," she said bitterly. "I'm going home…I'm just so tired of this."


	30. Chapter Thirty

**Chapter Thirty:**

"So, how come Hikari isn't eating with us?" Asami asked Kakashi with a raised brow from her seat at the table.

"I'm not sure," Kakashi admitted with a shrug. "She had fully intended to before she went out to the park to take pictures, but when she got back she was wreck. She went straight to her room and hasn't come out since."

"I bet something happened with those boys," Asami said with a roll of her eyes and a frown. "I told her to just stay away from them."

"I don't even know what's going on with her and I'm her guardian…I am supposed to know these kinds of things and I don't," Kakashi said as he ran his hand through his hair. "The mayor was clear that I am supposed to make sure that her mental and emotional-wellbeing are intact."

"It's just high school drama…she'll get over it," Asami said with a reassuring smile. "However, those boys have made sure that she's truly isolated. She hasn't been able to spend any time with her extended friends that she made through them because they're blocking her access."

"How come she is willing to tell you these things?" Kakashi asked with a look on his face that made Asami giggle; he looked completely overwhelmed when it came to dealing with a teenaged girl.

"Maybe it's because I am female?" Asami asked as she reached forwards and touched Kakashi's hand with her own. "Don't forget, this is an adjustment for her as well as you. Give her some time and she will warm up to you eventually."

Kakashi sighed and then picked up his fork and began to eat again.

"Why have you taken such an interest in Hikari anyways, Asami?" Kakashi asked curiously with a raised brow.

Asami shifted in her chair and crossed her legs before she began to chew on the inside of her cheek. From the many years of knowing her, Kakashi knew that meant she wasn't sure on how to say whatever she wanted to or was nervous.

"Well, I have two reasons," she said as she flicked her sky-blue eyes towards his dark coloured ones. "The first is that I am in a committed relationship with you and I want to help you with whatever's thrown at you. Hikari was kind of just set in front of you and I know you have no idea on how to watch over someone her age."

"I'm not that clueless," Kakashi defended with a frown pulling at his lips.

"Please, you wouldn't know what to do with yourself if she asked you to buy her tampons," Asami said with a roll of her eyes as a soft laugh slipped through her lips. "However, she could ask me and save you the awkwardness." Asami smiled affectionately at him. "I want to help you out."

"I'm grateful for that," Kakashi admitted as he squeezed her hand, "but you said there were two reasons."

"Oh, that," Asami said with a sigh as she began to run her free hand over the creases of her dress. "I know this is crazy and probably a chance of one and a million, but I just have a really strong feeling about it…"

"About what?"

"As you know, I was adopted by my family," Asami started. "As you know my sister's been missing and presumed dead for years, however there is something you don't know."

"I don't?" Kakashi asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah, I left out the fact that my sister was pregnant when she went missing," Asami said with a frown. "Hikari…she's a spitting image of Daisuke, which I am betting she got from her grandmother, but she has my sister's slender build and her nose…" Asami paused and then looked up at Kakashi again. "I know it's a long shot, but I think Hikari might be my sister's daughter. I just need to get closer to her so I can ask her questions about her past without her feeling suspicious."

"How sure can you be of this?" Kakashi asked seriously.

"Well, I am going on speculation alone…I have no evidence," Asami replied with a sigh. "I've asked Daisuke to come home though, just so he could get a look at her."

"You've asked him to come home?" Kakashi asked with a raised brow. "Asami, he's been looking for your sister for years…if you give him hope and this all turns out to be a dead end…"

"I know," Asami said with a little bit of shame in her tone, "but I just have this feeling that I'm right…"

"I hope you're right Asami," Kakashi said seriously.

"I hope so too…he's my brother, I'd never want to hurt him."

…

Hikari opened her iTunes and blasted the angriest and scream-filled artist she could think of; she turned on _Artas_. The first song she chose to listen to was _Through Dark Gates_. She didn't care if Kakashi and Asami were in the house, she was angry and hurt and she going to vent through the only means she knew how, music.

_"Do you know a place? A grey lonesome place, where aspiration's waiting to conquer your heart! Trust me! Such a place is my shelter, it aggravates me! Learn to appreciate what evocates pain,"_ Hikari mouthed as she banged her head to the sound of the strong guitar riffs; she loved the power she felt from metal like this, she could feel it in her very core, making her heart beat faster with every note. _"Lessons! I'll learn them well. Lessons! I'll wipe away the tears! Lessons! I'll learn them well! Lessons! I'll walk through hell!"_

A knock sounded at her door and instead of turning her music down and then answering, she went straight for the entryway. As she opened the door she crossed her arms and raised her brow. Asami was standing there, smiling despite being blown off by her student.

"If I could only express how much you're like my brother," Asami said with a small chuckle. "You like the same music, do the same things when you're upset or angry…" Asami paused and then walked further into the room and turned down the music. "Hikari, locking yourself in your room and being anti-social will not help with whatever pain you're feeling. You're just supressing it and it will come back and blow up even bigger. Just think that at some time in the future, the situation you're in now will make you feel worse than it's making you feel at this moment…we both know you don't want that."

Hikari rolled her eyes and turned towards Asami.

"Look, I'm just not the in the mood tonight to practice…I kind of want to drop out," Hikari said bitterly as she looked down at her feet. "It's pointless, that was made clear to me today."

"Whatever those boys said or did to you does not matter," Asami said sternly. "You should stop caring about how they feel or what they think about you. If they're not willing to see that you're a good person and they're hurting you through their actions, they don't deserve your friendship. It's that simple."

Asami hit the pause button on iTunes and then reached into her bag to pull out a few sheets of printed paper.

"Now come on, I am not giving you a choice anymore," Asami said as she shoved the music towards Hikari. "I've invested a lot of my time into you, so you're going to go through with this…you need it."

Hikari groaned.

"Don't take up that attitude with me, come on," Asami said as she ushered Hikari out of her room and into the living room.

Hikari looked at Kakashi, who sat on the couch, with a guilty and forced smile.

"I'm sorry I skipped out on dinner," she apologized.

"It's alright, you're here now," he said as he turned and looked at her.

"So, are you going to watch?" Hikari asked with a raised brow as she tightened her grip on the paper, feeling it crinkle a little under her fingers.

"Not if you don't want me to," he said as he stood. "I can go."

"Uh, yeah…I don't want to sound rude, but please do," Hikari said with an apologetic glance towards his eyes. "I haven't ever sung the song she's chosen and I don't want to make a fool out of myself."

Kakashi smiled light-heartedly at her and put his hand on her shoulder as he began to walk past her.

"It's no problem; I have some essays to mark anyways."

"Alright, now that he's gone, we can work on the music," Asami said as she took a seat on the couch. "Go ahead, look at the song."

Hikari lifted the paper so she could see it.

"Asami…I'm not really into the pop that plays on the radio…" Hikari said as she glanced for her teacher. "Titanium by David Guetta and featuring someone named Sia…it sounds out of my comfort zone."

"Read me the lyrics and then decide," Asami said smugly, as if she knew Hikari would sing it once she knew the concept.

Hikari sighed heavily.

_"You shout it loud, but I can't hear a word you say. I'm talking loud, not saying much. I'm criticized, but all your bullets ricochet; you shoot me down, but I get up. I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose, fire away, fire away. Ricochet, you take your aim, fire away, fire away. You shoot me down, but I won't fall, I am titanium. You shoot me down, but I won't fall, I am titanium,"_Hikari paused and then looked up at Asami.

"Keep going," Asami said with a nod of her head.

_"You cut me down, but it's your who'll have further to fall. Ghost town and haunted love. Raise your voice, sticks and stones may break my bones. I'm talking loud, not saying much._ The chorus is repeated. _Stone hard, machine gun, fired at the ones who run. Stone hard, as bulletproof glass._Repeat chorus."

Hikari lowered the piece of paper and then chewed on her lip.

"If you sing a song everyone knows, you will be more popular…especially if you can do it in a way that will give them chills," Asami said as she crossed her legs.

"I don't know…it's not me," Hikari said with a frown. "I like the meaning of the song, but I'd rather sing something that was less vague in the lyrics."

"Do you have something else in mind? Remember that you're using this to prove their words mean nothing," Asami said as she leaned back against the cushions.

"Yeah…well, wouldn't be saying the opposite to purposely sing a song that's not my style and says that?" Hikari asked with a frown as she crossed her arms. "Okay, I don't want to sing a song that sends a point," Hikari said firmly. "I want to sing a song that would be fun and get the crowd to sing along. I want to do something that shows them I am having so much fun, I couldn't care less about their opinions."

"Well, what are you thinking?" Asami said with a smirk. "Sing me a bit of it."

Hikari took in a deep breath and then tried to shake off her nerves.

"Okay, don't judge me," Hikari said with a pleading smile, "but I chose this a couple of days ago and even ripped the track so it's just the music in the background." Hikari ran to her room and then returned with a CD that she had burned. She put it in Kakashi's DVD player and then hit play before rushing towards the microphone Asami had hooked into the speakers of Kakashi's TV.

Hikari took in a deep breath as the guitars began to play and then brought her lips closer to the microphone.

_"Ugh! Ooooh-yeah! You got me down on the floor, why what'd you bring me down here for? You got me down on the floor, so what'd you bring me down here for?"_ Hikari took a deep breath and then continued onto the chorus. _"If I was a man I'd make my move. If I was a blade I'd shave you smooth. If I was a judge I'd break the law. And if I was from Paris, if I was from Paris I would say ooh la la-la la-la la la-la…ooh la la-la la-la la la-la…ooh la la-la la-la la la-la…ooh la la-la la-la la la-la."_ Hikari looked up at Asami and began to perform with more confidence when she saw the grin on her face. _"You got me up on your swing, so when you ganna shake that thang? You got me up on your swing, so when you ganna shake that thang? If I was a man I'd make my move! If I was a blade I'd shave you smooth. If I was a judge I'd break the law. And if I was from Paris, if I was from Paris I would say ooh la la-la la-la la la-la…ooh la la-la la-la la la-la…ooh la la-la la-la la la-la…ooh la la-la la-la la la-la."_ Hikari smiled as the song went into a guitar solo._ "Oooh! If I was a man I'd make__** my**__ move! If I was a blade I'd shave you smoo-oth! If I was a judge I'd break the la-aaaw! And if I was from Paris, if I was from Paris I would say ooh la la-la la-la la la-la…"_

Hikari took in a deep breath and then stepped away from the microphone as the song came to an end.

"What'd you think?" she asked nervously.

"I loved it," Asami said firmly. "I think you're getting across exactly what you want…fun and not caring what anyone thinks. The song choice was very you…it was very flirty, passionate, and fun, something you're good at."

Hikari smiled brightly, feeling good about herself for the first time since she had gotten home from her encounter with Sasuke.

_"I originally choose this song because of the way I felt about him recently…"_ Hikari thought as she bit her lip and looked at her feet,_ "but it doesn't apply to anyone anymore…I guess I am doing this for me now." _

"What's the song called and who is it by?" Asami asked as she raised her brow.

"The song's called _Paris (Ooh la la)_ by _Grace Potter & the Nocturnals_," Hikari said with a grin. "It reminds me of classic female-rock, so I really like the song."

"Alright, can I come back in?" Kakashi asked as he walked in the doorway.

"Did you hear all that?" Hikari asked as she averted her eyes, becoming shy.

"You were singing in a microphone, Hikari," Kakashi said with a chuckle. "However, I'd love to hear it again."

"Me too!" Asami piped up with a grin.

Hikari batted her eyelashes bashfully before going to the DVD player and starting the song over before she approached the microphone again.

"Alright, let's do this."

**Chapter End Notes:** I was actually really happy to see Paris (Ooh la la) get some attention from the X-Factor (does anyone watch that show?) It's funny, because I was thinking about how I wanted Hikari to sing it when Jennel Garcia did her audition singing that song. Anyways, I suggest you guys go take a listen so you know what it sounds like. Feedback, please? Thanks! :D


	31. Chapter Thirty-One

**Chapter Thirty-One:**

"Hey! Hikari!"

Hikari turned her head and looked behind her as she sipped the hot cup of tea in her hand. She knew she shouldn't be, but she was surprised to see Naruto in the crowded mall of Konoha on a Friday afternoon.

"Oh, hey Naruto," Hikari said with a smile as she brushed her hair behind her ear. She stepped off to the side where there was couches set up and sat down, so she didn't get in the way of any shoppers trying to walk. "What are you doing here?"

"A bunch of us are meeting here to hang out," Naruto said as he tilted his head. "You didn't know? I thought that's why you were here. This is where we're meeting."

Hikari's mouth formed into a tight line and her grip on her tea tightened.

"Sorry, I wasn't invited," Hikari said with a tone of bitterness to her tone.

"Oh…that's weird, Sakura set the whole thing up…aren't you guys friends?" Naruto asked as he sat down next to her and leaned against the cushions.

"Yeah, I thought we were too," Hikari said with a frown. "I guess not though."

"Well, now I am inviting you! Hang out with us!" Naruto said excitedly with a large grin stretching his lips and showing his teeth.

"I would, but…I don't know," Hikari said with a sigh. "I think I'll just go on my way and finish shopping so that I can get home."

"What are you shopping for?" Naruto asked as he watched her take another sip of her drink.

"Oh, well I am buying Asami a gift for helping me out with the talent show," Hikari said as she crossed her legs.

"You're going to be in the talent show?" Naruto asked as another grin appeared on his face.

"Yeah, I'm singing," Hikari said with a bashful smile. "Uh, that's why I've been so busy."

"Oh, is that why you're not sitting with us at lunch anymore?" Naruto asked with a raised brow. "You're practicing?"

"Uh, yeah…something like that," Hikari responded with a frown.

"What's the real reason?" Naruto asked as he peered at her through narrowed eyes.

"Stop being perceptive, Naruto," Hikari said as she crossed her arms.

"Well, you're the one who made it seem that way," Naruto said as he leaned back again and put his hands behind his head. "So, when are you going to come back to the table? We miss you."

Hikari fidgeted in her seat and averted her eyes to the floor.

"No offense, Naruto, but I'm not going to eat with you guys anymore," Hikari said quietly. "I just…"

"It's Teme isn't it?" Naruto demanded. "You always skip out on us when Teme does something to you!"

"Look, it's not the simple," Hikari said as she continued to look at the floor.

"Whatever that jerk said, it doesn't matter," Naruto said firmly as he shook his head. "I want you to sit with us, so you're going to sit with us."

Hikari sighed, but a smiled smile came to her lips.

"Thanks, Naruto…you're the only one who's reached out to me," Hikari said as she looked up at his face. "I'm kind of glad you almost knocked me over that day when we met…if you hadn't, I wouldn't have you as a friend."

"Yeah," Naruto said with a grin. "I'm glad I bumped into you too!"

"Oh…hey Hikari." Hikari looked up and saw Sakura approach them with a fake smile upon her lips. "I didn't know you were coming."

"I'm not," Hikari said as she stood up and brushed herself off with her free hand. "I was just having a conversation with Naruto. I'll be on my way now."

"Well, you don't have to go," Sakura said as she turned and watched Hikari begin to walk away.

Hikari paused and then took another long sip of her drink.

"If it was just you guys, I would, but you've probably invited some others," Hikari said as she looked over her shoulder with an apologetic smile. "Maybe another time."

"Sasuke and Sora aren't coming," Sakura said as she stepped towards Hikari. "I'm sorry about what happened before too…the only reason I didn't invite you is because I thought you were still mad."

Hikari turned towards her and Naruto and bit her lip.

"Alright, I will stay…but if this is some kind of trick to bombard me with death threats and questions, I'll leave," Hikari said firmly.

"I'd never think of it," Sakura said with a nod and a smile. "So, how are you?"

…

"Asami?" Hikari asked as she knocked on her teacher's apartment door.

After a few moments, right as she was about to turn around and leave, she heard footsteps. The door swung open, but instead of Asami, Hikari stood face-to-face with an unfamiliar shirtless man. She studied him for a moment, taking in his long black hair, pale skin, toned chest, and lacklustre purple eyes; he was handsome. She frowned as a negative thought pushed its way into her mind; she didn't like the idea of finding a half-naked man in Asami's apartment when she was supposed to be dating Kakashi.

"Who are you?" Hikari asked as she crossed her arms.

"Don't you know it's rude to ask someone their name before you give yours?" the man asked with a sarcastic grin stretching his lips.

"No, I wasn't aware," Hikari responded with a glare. "Who are you and what are you doing in Asami's apartment?"

"Oh, you're the boyfriend's foster-kid aren't you?" he asked as he leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms with one of his thick, but not bushy, brows raised.

"'The boyfriend's' name is Kakashi," Hikari snapped as she put her hands on her hips.

"Don't worry, kid, I'm not what you think," the man said with a laugh. "If you tell me your name, I will tell you who I am and what I am doing in Asami's house."

"I am Hikari," she said as she crossed her arms and glared at him for his stubbornness.

"Daisuke Koizumi," he said as he held out his hand for her to shake. "I'm Asami's older brother."

"Oh," Hikari said as she lessoned her frown and took his hand. "Do I even feel like a jerk now? Uh, hi, I'm one of Asami's students. I came here to drop off a gift for her." Hikari gestured to the bag she was holding. "Is she home?"

"No, she went out to get some groceries…however, she did mention to me that if you showed up to ask you to stay," he said as he stepped aside to let Hikari into his sister's home. "She's been gone for an hour now, so she should be home soon. Come on in."

"Oh, um okay," Hikari said as she entered the house. She walked straight to Asami's couch and sat herself down.

"Would you like a drink?"

"Sure," Hikari said as she looked up at Daisuke through her lashes, feeling shy and embarrassed for assuming things about him.

Daisuke walked to the fridge and then got her a soda. He returned and put it on a coaster in front of her on the coffee table.

"I hope you don't mind Dr. Pepper," he said as he stood up straight. "Now, I am going to go put on a shirt."

Hikari watched him go and then looked around the room curiously. She had never been in Asami's home before, but found that even though it was classily decorated, it was bare. The apartment only really had the necessities with a few extra exceptions. However, the things it did have looked expensive, Hikari didn't want to move because she was afraid she'd accidentally ruin something.

The door to the apartment suddenly opened and Asami stepped in carrying many grocery bags, even one with her teeth.

"I got extra food tonight because I know how much you eat, Daisuke!" Asami said with her teeth as she shut the door with her foot; how she opened it puzzled Hikari for a moment, but then she shook it out of her head and rushed to help Asami. "Oh, hey Hikari."

Hikari took a few bags from her, including the one that was in her mouth, and then brought them to the counter.

"Uh, hi," Hikari said with a smile as she turned to Asami and crossed her arms. "Your brother's charming…"

"Oh, he can kind of be a bit of a pain," Asami said with a smirk as she put the rest of the bags on the counter. "A lot like someone I already know."

"Hey, I'm not that bad," Hikari said with a frown. "Keep saying stuff like that and I won't give you what I brought from the mall."

Asami raised her brow.

"I brought you a gift," Hikari said with a smile. "For everything you've been helping me with lately."

"You shouldn't have," Asami said as she looked down at Hikari. "I'm a teacher, it's what I do."

"I have money to waste," Hikari said with a shrug, "it's what I do."

Asami chuckled and rolled her eyes. Hikari smiled as she walked to the couch and picked up the bag she had been carrying. She walked back to Asami and then handed it to her after taking a deep breath. Asami began to reach into the bag and take out the contents.

"I always see you come into class in the morning with the school's crappy coffee, so I bought you a nice mug and some good coffee and tea to drink out of it," Hikari said as she laced her fingers together. "I hope you like it."

"Well, I am a caffeine addict, so it was a pretty good gift choice," Asami said with a nod and a smile. "Thank you Hikari."

"It was no problem," Hikari said with nod. "I wanted to do something nice for all your help."

"Well, I'd like you to stay for dinner so you can get to know my brother," Asami said as she put the mug in the sink and the coffee and tea away in the cabinets. Asami began to reach into her grocery bags when she continued, "and I won't take no for an answer."

Hikari smiled and then nodded.

"That's fine, I'm not doing anything tonight anyways," Hikari said as she began to help Asami with the groceries. "But I get to practice while I'm hear."

"Oh, I bet Daisuke will love that, won't you?" Asami asked as she looked up towards her brother with a smirk.

"As long as she doesn't sing that crap on the radio, I don't care," he said with a yawn as he opened the fridge. "I can't stand that shit."


	32. Chapter Thirty Two

**Chapter Thirty-Two:**

Despite her and Sakura making their peace a week before, Hikari sat alone on the steps of her school, nibbling on the sandwich she had brought for lunch. She shivered as a gust of cold wind passed through her and chilled her to the bone. She thought about going inside but she knew there was nowhere for her to go if she did. Even though she had friends at the table Naruto and the gang occupied she didn't want Sasuke to confront her, she knew she might cry if he did. She had always thought of herself as a strong person until she met him. Sasuke had taught her a valuable lesson; she was easy to toy with and just as easy to break. She hated that she wanted to be his friend and he wanted nothing to do with her. She hated that she felt like she had no _control_ when she was so used to having the world served to her a silver platter, her demands a call away from her grasp.

Hikari bit her lip and dropped her eyes to the cement that lay beneath her booted feet and knew she no longer had an appetite. She threw her sandwich to the seagulls that lingered in the school drive-way and watched as they fought over the food, tearing ruthlessly at the bread with their beaks.

She reached into her pocket and took out her iPod, putting the buds in her ear and hitting the shuffle button. The first song to play was _I Don't Care_ by _Apocalyptica_ and she relaxed hearing the expert cello players sound notes effortlessly before mouthing the lyrics. Music was her stress relief.

"_I try to make it through my life, in my way, there's you. I try to make it through these lies, and that's all I do_," she sang as she closed her eyes and really listened to the strings in the background. Apocalyptica was one of her favourite bands because they made their living playing cello. "_I try to make you see my side, I always try to stay in line, but your eyes see right through, that's all they do. I'm getting buried in this place, I've got no room you're in my face, don't say anything just go away!_"

Already she could feel the music calming her, making her thoughts that ran like rapids cool to still waters. Even before she came to Konoha, music was her salvation from all the wrong she had lived through. She knew it would remain that way until the day she died; it was her therapy when she couldn't speak of the haunting trauma that was her life.

The only good thing that Hikari had to look forward to was going over to Asami's house after school. For the past week she had been there most days, spending time with her teacher and her brother, who Hikari thought acted more like a teenager than she did. However, she liked their company and Kakashi thought they were a positive influence on her, so no one was complaining.

Hikari's phone suddenly buzzed and she jumped as she reached into her other pocket and took it out to see the text she got.

'_We need to practice_.'

Hikari's eyes narrowed into a glare as her sense of calmness left in a flash and was replaced with anger.

"Who does this clown think he is?" Hikari demanded as she read the text again. "Seriously, he cannot talk to me the way he did and then text me like nothing happened! Fuck, he needs social skills."

Hikari's fingers were flying over the keypad before she had even thought about what she wanted to say.

'_Fuck you, I'm busy and have no interest in working with you. I refuse to cooperate until I hear an apology from you. I don't care if we both fail. I can always take music again._'

Hikari hit the send button before she had time to think about the potential negative impacts sending the message could have. She didn't care anyways, if Sasuke wanted to be a jerk and give her an attitude, she'd give him one right back.

The bell rang and Hikari sighed as she began to gather her things. She stood and walked back towards the school, wishing she could skip class, but she had missed too much already. She would just have to suffer through History and Visual Art with Sasuke and his usual snarky attitude.

…

"We need to practice tonight," Sasuke said as he slid in the seat next to Hikari in their Visual Art class.

Hikari put her pencil down and then slowly looked up at him.

"Get lost," she said firmly. "I'm busy tonight, I have plans. As for when I am free, just consider me busy every night until you fork over an apology."

"For what?" Sasuke asked as he rolled his eyes.

Hikari abruptly stood and began to shove her books in her bag.

"You're such a prick!" she said loudly as grabbed her sketch book and smacked him over the back with it. Sasuke glared at her intensely. "I don't care if we both fail, but I refuse to work with you until you apologize for the way you've been treating me and the fact that you turned this entire fucking school on me!"

Hikari huffed and threw her sketchbook in her bag. She walked to the table she knew Sasuke wouldn't approach, even if she didn't want to talk to or see him.

"So now that he's hurt you, you've come crawling back?" Sora asked as he paid all of his attention to his sketchbook.

"No," Hikari said through her teeth. "I just know he won't bother me if you're here."

"So you're using me as your backup, like always," Sora said bitterly.

"Just shut up and do your work. I won't talk to you if you don't talk to me," Hikari hissed as she took out the book she was reading from her bag, _the Game of Thrones_ by _George R. R. Martin_. She didn't feel like doing art because she knew if she did, it would only be some angry sketch that Asami would question.

"With pleasure."

…

Hikari walked into Asami's apartment and sighed.

"You can't purposely fail him because you're mad at him," Asami told her as she followed her into the apartment. "Be the better person."

"You two are not talking about the boy again, are you?" Daisuke asked as he looked up from his seat on the couch. In his hand was the controller to a PS3 and the screen showed the racing game he was playing.

"Yes, we were," Hikari said with a frown. "He tried to get me to work on our project today after being a complete douchebag to me a couple of weeks ago. He hasn't talked to me since then and the first thing he decides to talk to me about is that stupid project. I want a fucking apology."

"Language," Asami reminded her as she walked towards the refrigerator.

"What did you do wrong?" Daisuke asked as he continued to give all of his attention to the screen.

"Nothing!" Hikari shrieked. "This is all on that bastard!"

"Hikari, language," Asami said more forcefully.

"Sorry," she muttered as she walked towards the couch Daisuke sat on. She sat down with a huff and began to watch him play the videogame with boredom reflecting in her eyes.

"Do you want to play something we both can play?" he asked as he paused the game and looked towards her. "It will make you feel better, video games are great stress relievers."

"I'll just listen to my iPod for a bit…music is my stress reliever," Hikari mumbled as she pulled her knees to her chest.

Daisuke stood and then walked towards the PS3. He switched over the disk inside for something else and then opened one of the cabinets on the entertainment centre. He removed a microphone and tossed it to Hikari as he took out a guitar.

"Let's play _Rock Band_ then," he said as he sat back down next to her and began to set up the game.

Hikari uncurled herself and then smiled slightly to herself.

"Okay," she said as she looked up at him. It took him no time at all to pick a song and Hikari smiled to herself. "_Bon Jovi_?"

"I'm older than you," he said as he looked down at her with a brow raised. "Do you have something against classic rock?"

"Nope, I like classic rock, I just didn't expect you to like _Bon Jovi_," she said with a laugh. "Okay, shut up, it's about to start."

"You're the one talking," he said as he shook his head.

"_Shot through the heart and you're to blame, darlin' you give love a bad name_," Hikari sang shyly as she watched the screen.

Daisuke smirked.

"It's not about singing well, it's about having fun, loosen up," he said as he played the guitar intro.

Hikari rolled her eyes.

"_An angel's smile is what you sell; you promised me heaven and put me through hell. Chains of love got a hold on me, when passion's a prison you can't break free. Whoa, you're a loaded gun! Whoa, there's nowhere to run, no one can save me the damage is done!_" Hikari said with a little more confidence as she watched the lyrics on the screen. "_Shot through the heart and you're to blame. You give love a bad name. I play my part, you play your game, you give love a bad name! Hey, you give love a bad name_."

"When did you pick up this system?" Asami asked as she raised her brow.

"When I came home to visit and realised you don't have a PS3," he responded as if the answer should have been common sense."

Hikari rolled her eyes and continued to sing.

"_Paint your smile on your lips, blood red nails on your fingertips. A school boy's dream, you act so shy. Your very first kiss was your first kiss goodbye. Whoa! You're a loaded gun. Whoa, there's nowhere to run, no one can save me the damage is done! Shot through the heart and you're to blame. You give love a bad name. I play my part and you play your game. You give love a bad name. You give love, oh!_" Hikari took the microphone away from her lips before watching Daisuke play his solo. After he finished, she sang the chorus again a couple of times before singing the title of the song. Once the song finished, she smiled.

"Okay, I have to admit that was fun," Hikari said as she looked towards Daisuke.

He smiled and then ruffled her hair with his large hand after he stood up.

"I told you," he said as he stood. He handed her the guitar and the controller. "Here play this for a while; I'm going to find some food."

Hikari took the guitar and then began selecting a new song to play.

Daisuke walked towards Asami, who leant on the counter in the kitchen, once Hikari was occupied.

"I've been here for a week and you won't tell me why I am here," he said quietly as he opened the fridge.

Asami sighed.

"I brought you here to meet Hikari," Asami said just as quietly as she turned to her brother. He looked at her with a raised brow.

"Why? Sure, she's a cool kid, but what's the point?" he asked as he looked towards the girl in question and shut the fridge.

"Who does she remind you of, Daisuke?" Asami whispered as she looked towards Hikari as well.

"Honestly? A little of myself," he said as he looked back towards his sister.

"Yes, and I have yet to mention what her last name is," Asami said as she folded her arms. Daisuke raised his eyebrow. "It's Koizumi."

Daisuke's eyes widened as he snapped his head back towards the girl in question.

"Oh my god," he uttered as he peered at her. "You don't think that she's?"

"That's exactly what I think," Asami said with a sigh. "She looks just like you Daisuke and you look just like your mother. I think she might have also inherited her grandmother's looks."

Daisuke's mouth went dry.

"That means that she knows where Shizuka is," Daisuke said to himself; Asami could hear the longing in his voice to find his sister, the one he never had the chance to protect.

Asami sighed and closed her eyes.

"Hikari moved to Konoha because the last of her parents was killed in a work-related accident," she whispered to him quietly. "She says her mother died when she was young, Daisuke."

Daisuke's jaw tightened.

"No, this is silly. There is no way that his would ever happen in real life. She's just another Koizumi," Daisuke said as he turned back towards the fridge.

Asami sighed as she laid her hand on his shoulder blade.

"Daisuke, denying what very well may be the truth will not bring Shizuka back to life," Asami said as worry twisted her brow. "Just listen to me, she knows her mother's name right? Let's ask."

"Shizuka is not dead!" Daisuke said loudly as he turned to Asami with anger imbedded deep in his eyes. A crash sounded and the siblings looked towards Hikari. She had dropped the guitar on the glass table and her hands were shaking. Hikari looked towards both of them, alarmed, but then regained her senses just as quickly as she had lost them. She grabbed her bag and began to rush for the door, but Daisuke stepped in her way.

He swallowed and then slowly exhaled; the sudden tension in the room was visible.

"Your mother's name was Shizuka, wasn't it?" Hikari tried to step around him, but he blocked her access. "Answer me!"

"Daisuke!" Asami snapped as she walked towards him and pushed Hikari behind her. "You can't yell at her like that, we've probably freaked her out." Asami shook her head and then turned to Hikari. "Okay, can we talk, please?"

Hikari looked between the both of them, her expression like a deer trapped in headlights.

"I…I just want to leave," Hikari said as she looked between them, desperate to find an escape route.

"You don't have to be afraid of us," Asami said gently as she looked Hikari in the eyes. "The truth is that Shizuka was our sister and we've been searching for years."

Hikari's brow twisted.

"It's probably a coincidence," Hikari said quickly as she darted around Asami only to be blocked by Daisuke again.

"No it's not," he said very quietly. "I'm betting your last name is your mother's maiden name. How many peopled named Shizuka Koizumi do you know? I can say I've only ever met one."

Hikari swallowed.

"Look," Asami said as she walked towards her bedroom. She disappeared for a few minutes and Hikari felt extremely tense and awkward standing with Daisuke. Asami returned with a photo in her hands. "Is this your mother?"

Hikari took the photo and felt her heart drop; the woman smiling back at her was without a doubt the woman who raised her.

"I can tell it is by the look on your face," Daisuke said as he crossed his arms. "Go sit down…we have a lot to talk about."

Hikari looked up at him and knew he was not going to let her escape until she heard them out. She looked at Asami and saw that the woman looked sorry, but not sorry enough to let her leave either. Hikari sighed and walked back to the couch, knowing she didn't have a choice.


	33. Chapter Thirty-Three

**Chapter Thirty-Three:**

At first, Hikari was really afraid to learn that Daisuke and Asami knew about someone connected to her personal life and, by extension, someone connected to her father. The thought had scattered her wits enough to make her want to run for the nearest window just to get away from them, however, as they went on it was clear to Hikari that they hadn't the slightest idea of her real purpose in Konoha. After realising that small detail, she relaxed considerable and was even eager to hear Daisuke and Asami out; when she thought back on it, she had never known very much about her mother.

"Your mother was beautiful," her long-lost uncle started as he looked towards Hikari and crossed his arms. "She was fresh out of college, ready to make something of herself and rich too."

"Rich?" Hikari asked with a raised brow, she had always thought her mother came from a humble background while her father possessed the money, even though her cover-story said differently.

"Your mother is from the main branch of the Koizumi-clan," Daisuke said as he raised his brow skeptically. "I assumed she is where you got your inheritance."

"No, my mother died with nothing worth mentioning to her name," Hikari said as she shook her head. "My father possessed all of the money."

"Your father?" he asked as he leant towards her; there was a certain sense of urgency to his features.

"Yes, he was the creator of a potential eco-friendly renewable energy source for motorized vehicles," Hikari said as she crossed her legs, "but he died in a tragic accident just after selling his formula." Hikari sighed. "If my dad would have just lived through that accident, and the company who bought his formula had time to get it out on the market, you probably would have found us."

Asami and Daisuke looked at each other and nodded before looking back at Hikari.

"Hikari, did your mother and father seem to have a good relationship while she was alive?" Asami asked gently.

Hikari immediately decided to lie.

"Yeah, from what I remember they were really loving towards each other," Hikari said as she shrugged. "My father was absolutely distraught when she died."

Asami and Daisuke looked at each other again.

"She must have gotten away from whoever it was," Asami whispered, "maybe Hikari's father helped her and she fell in love with him."

"Why never contact us?" Daisuke demanded with a deep frown. "Why wouldn't she let us know that she was okay?"

Asami crossed her arms and averted her eyes to the fabric of the chair, her expression reflecting her deep thought.

"We both know that she wanted a new life…her and our father never really saw eye to eye," Asami explained with a shrug. "She had the money she was forced to steal and a man she loved…why jeopardise that?"

"It's so unlike Shizuka to never say a word," Daisuke said as he covered his face with his hands and then ran them through his long locks of ebony hair. He looked back up at Hikari and then frowned. "How well did you know your father?"

"Quite," Hikari answered without much thought, "he and I grew really close after mom died. We shared similar…interests."

"How old are you, Hikari?" Asami asked as she looked down at her niece.

"I turned seventeen as of August," Hikari said as she pondered why Asami wanted to know that.

Asami looked at Daisuke again and then frowned deeply.

"The timeline matches," he said as he looked at Asami, "down to the month she was conceived."

Hikari looked between them with an unsettling feeling swirling in her gut, she didn't like how they seemed to know so much about something from her past that was _bad_ and she didn't.

"Look, can you guys please tell me what both of you are thinking?"

Daisuke sighed and then looked in her eyes again.

"We think the man who raised you with your mother wasn't your biological father," he said explained as he gripped his own thigh tightly with his hand.

"Okay…?" Hikari asked with a raised brow.

"Before your mother was kidnapped a man snuck in our family home when she had come back from school and raped her," Daisuke said with a frown worn deep on his face and shame written in his eyes. "He barred the door and I couldn't even break it down because he had moved her wardrobe in front of it. I stood there, listening to her horrid screams as I tried and failed to stop it."

As the silence settled, Hikari didn't say or feel anything. The three of them just continued to stare at each other. After a few moments, as if a ton of bricks hit her, Hikari processed what her uncle had told her. She felt her heart wretch and her stomach drop, making the most nauseously twisting feeling take over her gut. She tried to speak or express something, but the wind had been knocked out of her and she couldn't speak.

"By the time I got in, he had escaped out the window…I found her tied to the bed, bleeding and broken," Daisuke said as he crossed his arms. "Your age and the month you were born make sense as to the month that happened…November."

Hikari tried to swallow her sickness, but her throat had gone dry.

"I…I can't listen to any more of this," Hikari said as she quickly stood and grabbed her bag. "I have to go clear my head."

Daisuke began to stand, but Asami stopped him.

"Will you come back?" she asked as she turned towards her retreating student.

"Maybe another day…but I can't take any more of this tonight…I think I may be sick."

…

Hikari didn't know why she had gone to the park, but her feet had carried her there before she told them to. The snow crunched under her booted feet as she walked on the path and held her stomach.

"_My father…_" Hikari thought with a deep frown pulling at her lips. "_My father, he…_"

Hikari closed her eyes and stopped walking, feeling her stomach lurch. She ran to the trees as she began to gag and before she had could even catch her breath her lunch spilled out onto the snow. She held her stomach with one hand and leaned on the tree with the other, closing her eyes as sweat began to form on her brow. Tears began to form in her eyes as she retched again. Hikari slowly backed away and wiped her mouth with the back of her gloved hand, feeling the tears fall down her face. When she was almost to the sidewalk again, her knees gave out and she fell into the snow.

"Hikari!"

She managed to lift her head and saw Sora jogging towards her.

"Hikari, are you alright?" he asked as he knelt down in front of her. She blinked as she tried to process what he said, but his voice came to her ears fading in and out. "Hikari? Hey, let me help you up."

She was being tugged to her feet and the snow was being brushed off her, but everything was in a daze. She looked at him and managed to focus a little more, his face suddenly becoming clear in front of her own.

"Sora?" she asked with a frown.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked as he tilted his head and looked into her eyes. "You look really pale, Hikari."

"Uh…" she said as she blinked a few times. "I'm…fine."

"No, no you're not," he said with a serious expression knotting his eyebrows as he held onto the arm he had pulled on to help her up. "Here, let me help you. You can come to my place, have something hot to drink and talk about whatever it is that has you looking frightened out of your wits."

Hikari began to smile, but then she remembered the things Sora had said to her in front of their school. She snarled and yanked her arm away from him, turning quickly and beginning to walk in the opposite direction.

"Hikari, come on!" he said as he jogged to get in front of her. He held his hands up and put them in front of her, trying to stop her movement. "I know what I said was stupid and uncalled for, but I just had a row with Akemi before I saw you and I took it out on you…I'm so sorry."

"I am so sick and tired of people like you and people like _him_ taking advantage of me!" Hikari shouted as she crossed her arms. "I am so sick of being treated like some child who can't fend for themselves by you! I just want to go home, curl up under a blanket and go to bed."

Sora frowned and then backed away from her.

"I am sorry about what happened, Hikari…" he said quietly as he watched her pass by.

"Yeah? Well, sorry isn't good enough anymore," she said spitefully, using her words to unleash all of her anger, about not only him but about the situation of her life, at him. "I seem to remember you apologising to me about a month ago for something just like this and you promised it wouldn't happen again, but here we are…_again_."

"Come on Hikari, you know I didn't mean it," Sora said as he began to follow her.

"Oh yeah? Then what did you mean yesterday in class?" Hikari hissed as she refused to turn and face him; she just hoped if she kept on walking, he'd stop following her.

"I was frustrated that you have to have him bother you to come and sit with me again," he said exasperatedly. "Can't you see how that looks to me?"

"No I can't!" she yelled as her temper snapped and she turned on him, tears welling in her eyes.

For a moment, their eyes connected and he thought she may rush into his arms and let him comfort her, but instead he received the flat of her palms shoving against his chest.

"Just get the fuck out my life!" she yelled with a snarl curling her top lip. "I will not let _anyone_ hurt me, so screw off and go fuck that stupid piece of trash you like so much!"

Hikari let out a frustrated yell and turned on heel again, walking with steps that clearly reflected her anger.

Sora watched her go with saddened eyes, wishing there was something he could say or do that would make her turn around and walk with him, like the way she used to. He signed and turned in the opposite direction, continuing on his way to the market and walking further into the snow-covered park. He realised that going back to the way things were was unlikely, he had done far too much damage for that.


	34. Chapter Thirty-Four

**Chapter Thirty-Four:**

Hikari refused to go to school the next three days after her encounter with Sora; when they called, she told them that she had suffered a traumatic event and even asked Daisuke to go talk to them. To her surprise, because he seemed like the kind of man who would encourage her to do things for herself, he agreed. He had immediately asked to see her in exchange for his service, which she had begrudgingly accepted.

Hikari looked at her clock and then looked at the ceiling of her room again; it was eleven and he was due to show up at noon. She sighed as she yanked the blankets, which had been keeping her toasty-warm, away from her body and stood to her feet. Without any further ado, she walked to her closet, took out some weather-appropriate clothing and then hit the shower. After twenty-five minutes, she was clean, her teeth were brushed and her hair was done. She thought about putting on makeup, but then she thought of the very real possibility of her breaking out into tears; she decided she would look bad enough blubbering in front of him, she didn't need smudged black-streaks of eyeliner and mascara running down her cheeks to compliment the tears.

Hikari looked herself over in the mirror and then wished she hadn't; the dark purple bags under her eyes was the evidence of her lack of sleep and the stress of everything she had learned about her upbringing being a lie made her skin paler than ever.

"Maybe a little toner…" she said to herself as she reached into her makeup bag, "to hide the shadows under my eyes."

Once she had powered her face, she began to walk out of her room, but her phone stopped her in her tracks. She turned and took it from the table beside her bed and with a heavy-heart read the text from an unidentified number.

'_All of the names you have given us have led to less than a hundred thousand dollars. Either all of the snobs in that town went broke because of the bad economy or you're failing to do your job. Either way, I am becoming impatient with you. Hurry up and find me someone worthwhile or I will make sure that you receive the consequences for failing me, personally._'

Hikari swallowed the bile that rose in her throat; on top of dealing with the idea of her father, who was very much alive, being a rapist, she had to deal with the idea of him beating her now too.

"Talk about stress," she uttered as she began to type a reply.

'_I honestly thought those names were worth something…people around here are not easily trusting, I need more time. I haven't even seen someone whip out a couple hundred for a shopping trip yet, forget thousands. There is no need to make me 'receive the consequences personally', I will get more names._'

She sent the text and then deleted them both from her phone before she began to bite her lip. She closed her eyes and tried to sooth her racing heartbeat, but it was all so much to handle. A sudden knock came at her open bedroom door and she swiftly turned, her facial expression falling from stressed to blank.

"Hikari?" Daisuke asked as he poked his head into her room. "The front door was unlocked, so I let myself in."

"It's not a problem," Hikari said stiffly as she dropped her phone on her bed and then led him out of the room and into the open concept living, dining, and kitchen area. "Do you want some tea? Coffee? Water?"

"I don't suppose Kakashi has a beer in there, does he?" he asked with a sigh as he sat down on the couch. "I have a feeling this is going to be a heavy discussion."

Hikari reached into the fridge and took out the vodka that Asami had brought over one night and the orange juice. She took out two cups, poured their drinks, mixed them and then approached him.

"I hope a screwdriver works," she said as she set his down in front of him and then began to drink her own as she sat down.

"Whoa, hold on!" he said as he tried to reach over and take the glass. She gracefully removed it from her lips and waved it out of reach.

"Spoiled rich kid, remember?" Hikari asked as she looked at him seriously. "It's just one drink, I'm seventeen, chill. I'm with you, what's going to happen?"

"Well," he said as he leant back and crossed his arms. "Worst case scenario is we both get piss drunk and Kakashi catches us…whatever, drink it, but I didn't consent to this and I don't feel comfortable enough in my role-model slash authority-position to enforce anything."

Hikari smiled and lifted her glass as if to toast him and then brought it to her lips again.

"What's on your mind, kid?" he asked after he downed his drink and put the empty glass on the coffee table. "Skipping school three days in a row? That's a little extreme."

"This whole thing with my mom is making me feel just terrible," Hikari said bitterly as she removed her glass from her lips. "I can't imagine the fear she felt…she must have been always worried that he was just around the corner somewhere, waiting."

Daisuke shifted and tried to make himself more comfortable, but he knew it wasn't the couch that made him feel uneasy.

"Look, everything that happened to your mom is in the past," he said in a softer tone, something that seemed unnatural for him. "She is gone now and in a better place…no one can hurt her anymore and I bet she looks down on you, proud."

Hikari closed her eyes and tried to stop herself from crying now that they hit the topic she was most sensitive about.

"But what if she's not? What if she never was?" Hikari asked in a whisper as she looked down at her hands. "What if she was afraid of me? Afraid of what I'd become? What if she thought I was like that man?"

Daisuke moved closer to her and took her face in his hands, making her look at him.

"Don't ever talk about yourself that way," he said with a frown imbedded in his face. "There is not a shred of that monster inside of you." He brushed away one of her tears with his thumb. "These eyes, they're your mother's and so are you lips. Your nose and hair is like mine, which means if came from your grandmother. You're a spitting image of a Koizumi, one of our own, and you have a good heart…one like my sister's."

Hikari closed her eyes and began to sob and without thinking about it, she leaned forwards and began to hug him tightly; he didn't object, he held her back, trying to reassure her with his brotherly-embrace. He held her like that for a long time, until he got sick of being so depressed. He stood, making her stand with him.

"Come on," he demanded as he walked towards the door.

"Where?" she asked.

"We're going to have some fun…Christmas is coming up, let's go to the mall and get a gift for Asami and Kakashi," he suggested. "After, I will take you out to dinner so I can get to know my niece."

Hikari smiled and grabbed her coat.

"I'd like that…"

…

"I want you to go and check on her," the man demanded from his desk, his faithful pawn sitting in front of him.

"Why? Do you mistrust her?" his pawn asked as they crossed their legs.

"My daughter's acting strange," the man replied as he folded his hands. "I want to know why."

"Strange? Sir, I bet this is nothing," his pawn said with a shrug. "I thought you wanted me to do a little dirty work in the slums of Kumogakure."

"Send someone else…I want you to go spy on Hikari…" the boss said impatiently. "Find out who she is with and who she's protecting."

"You think she's protecting someone?" his pawn asked with a snort. "I assure you sir that she wants to take over the business…I can't imagine her screwing this up after that last little hiccup."

"I'm not fooling around anymore," his boss said seriously as he stood from his desk and approached his employee. "I want to know who has made her suddenly change her loyalties and then I want them dead."

"Right away," his minion said as they also stood. "I will contact you as soon as I find out."

"Good, now get out of my office."


	35. Chapter Thirty-Five

**Chapter Thirty-Five:**

When Hikari and Daisuke stepped into the mall, she looked up at him and smiled. He held out his leather-jacket clad arm for her and she giggled as she looped hers around it.

"You have your mother's smile," he said with longing clearly in his eyes; Hikari knew in that moment he was wishing her mother was still alive.

"Thanks," Hikari said shyly. "I could tell you some stories about her…the things I remember."

"I'd love to hear them," he said as he nodded, she noticed that he wore a single silver earring on his left ear that glinted with the harsh lighting from the ceilings.

"Well, there's this one thing I always remember," Hikari admitted as she walked. "Mom was always kind of strict on etiquette…especially table manners. I remember her teaching me really well."

Daisuke smiled a true smile, one that made creases appear around his eyes.

"That sounds like something she picked up from our mom…your grandmother was picky as well."

"Learning how to use chopsticks was hell for me," Hikari said with a light-hearted laugh. "She made me 'train' by moving marbles into bowls. She'd set a whole bowl of marbles in front of me and then an empty one and would not let me leave the table until I could get everyone in the empty bowl with my chopsticks. She said if I could do that, I could pick up anything with them."

"That sounds like my sister," he said with a nod. "She was always strict with chopsticks, more so than my mother."

"Yeah, there is a lot of rules," Hikari said with a nod, "things that are considered rude and what not. She got intensely made at this girl I had over because she stabbed her chopsticks into plain rice."

"Well, I can see why," Daisuke said with a shrug. "It's what they do for offerings at funerals."

"Yeah, but this girl didn't know that," Hikari said with another laugh. "She could have been nice…you should have seen the look on my friend's face. Needless to say, she wasn't my friend much longer after that."

"What else do you remember?" Daisuke asked with a raised brow.

"The way she played cello," Hikari said as she brushed her hair behind her ear. "She was so good at it…when she died, I took her cello and began to learn in her honour."

"She must have learned after she disappeared," Daisuke said as he put his free hand in his jacket pocket. "She didn't play when I knew her."

"Well, she was brilliant…there's a piece she wrote that I love to play; it took me forever to convert what I remember hearing into notes to play, but I think I got it right," Hikari said with a shrug. "I will play it for you sometime."

"I would like that," he said with a nod.

"I was thinking of singing something different for the talent show," Hikari admitted as she looked up at her uncle.

"Isn't it a little late for that?" Daisuke asked with a quirked brow.

"Just because it's in a week doesn't mean I can't do it," Hikari said stubbornly. "I was to dedicate a song to mom, it's only appropriate, seeing as November is the month this all happened to her."

Daisuke smiled genuinely again.

"I think she'd like that."

"Kari-chan!"

Hikari rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Hey, Naruto…why are you always at the mall when I come here?" she asked with a disappointed look on her face.

"I hang out here all the time," he said with a shrug. "So, who's this dude? Are you into older men now?"

"Naruto! You cannot go running off like that!" Sakura's shrill voice called. "You left the entire group by themselves!"

Hikari inwardly groaned when she realised that yet again, Naruto was not alone, but this time _everyone_ was there and soon they were all gathered with Naruto in front of her.

"So, who's the boyfriend?" Naruto asked with a mischievous smirk.

"He looks a little old, Hikari…" Sakura said as she looked Daisuke up and down.

Hikari rolled her eyes and planted her free hand on her hip.

"You idiots, this is my uncle," Hikari said flatly.

"Che…what kind of loser comes to the mall with her uncle?"

If Hikari could reach Sasuke, she'd strangle him, but Daisuke beat her to the punch of dealing with the Uchiha.

"What kind of douchebag attacks someone like that for no reason?" Daisuke asked him with narrowed eyes. "If you ever talk to my niece like that again in front of me, you will find my foot so far up your ass you won't even remember what your mother looks like."

Naruto cracked up laughing and turned to Sasuke, pointing.

"He got you, Teme! You messed with the wrong guy."

"Yeah right, he's all talk. As if he could touch me," Sasuke said as he crossed his arms.

"Don't test me, little prick," Daisuke said as he pulled himself from Hikari and took a threatening step towards Sasuke. "Just remember what I told you, and if you decide to do it, you'll feel just how much I meant it."

"Daisuke, cut it out," Hikari said with a roll of her eyes. "Stop trying to scare him, he's just a jerk that's not even worth your attention."

"Wait…" Naruto said as he looked at Daisuke with his head tilted. "I thought you said you hate your uncle."

"That's my dad's brother," Hikari said as she crossed her arms. "This is my mom's younger brother."

"I don't know what you were talking about Sakura, he's kind of hot," Ino said as she winked at Hikari's uncle.

Hikari frowned and looked at her uncle and then back at Ino.

"You have no idea how entirely weird that is," Hikari said as she shook her head. "Ino look." Hikari walked next to Daisuke and then yanked head down next to hers so she could see their faces next to each other. "We look so much alike, so when you say he's hot…"

Ino blushed and huffed as she crossed her arms and Naruto began to laugh again.

"Well, it was nice seeing you all, but I'm Christmas shopping with my uncle and then going to dinner, so I have to go," Hikari said with a friendly smile towards Sakura and Naruto. When she looked at Sasuke her expression fell and she gave him a dirty look. "Have a nice night, everyone accept for Sasuke. As for you, I hope you get hit by a bus."

…

"Kakashi's been talking about wanting a PS3…" Hikari said thoughtfully as they passed an electronics store. "Do you think it'd be too extreme to get him one?"

"Nah," Daisuke said with a shrug. "He knows you're generous with your money. Plus, you've said before that you kind of think of him like another uncle or a brother."

"Yeah," Hikari said with a nod. "Alright, that's what I will get him. The new _Assassin's Creed_ came out last month…maybe I will get him the series."

"Sounds like a pretty solid gift-plan," Daisuke said with a nod as he crossed his arms. "Are you going to get some of your friends something?"

"I was thinking I might get Naruto a gift…he's a buddy," Hikari said as she chewed on her lip in thought, "and maybe Sakura too. However, if I buy for Sakura, I have to as well for Ino; they kind of come in a pair."

"The one who thinks I'm sexy?" Daisuke asked with a smirk.

"I think she said 'kind of hot'," Hikari said as she laughed and playfully shoved him. "Have an ego, much?"

Daisuke rolled his eyes and shoved her back, making her laugh.

"Hey, thanks for doing this," Hikari said with a smile. "I've been feeling better since you came over this afternoon."

Daisuke nodded and ruffled her hair with his hand.

"No problem kid, it's what family is for."


	36. Chapter Thirty-Six

**Chapter Thirty-Six:**

Sora sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out what to do about the girl lying next to him. A knock came at his door, but he did not tense knowing that it was locked.

"Sora?"

"Yeah mom?" he asked as he absentmindedly played with a strand of Akemi's midnight-blue hair that was spread out behind her head on his chest like a curtain of curls.

"Did Akemi go home yet? Why is your door locked?"

He knew that tone, she was suspicious; what he had ever done to deserve that, he didn't know.

"Yeah, she left when you were in the shower," he called back, running his finger down her bare back. He was lucky all of her stuff was in his room and not by the front door. "I'm in bed, I locked it when I was changing and forgot to unlock it."

"Alright, goodnight," his mother said as he felt Akemi stir. Soon after, he heard her footsteps retreat and the girl lying on him began to trace circles on his chest.

"I went home, did I?" Akemi asked in a whisper.

"You're going now," he said as he removed her hand and shifted to make her sit up. "You have to go out the window too. Don't worry, it's ground level."

Akemi rolled her eyes and stood, the blankets falling from her bare body as she did. She began to pull on her panties and then put on her bra, struggling to get the hooks. She turned to him and frowned.

"Get that, would you?"

He sighed as he stood and pulled on his boxers, walking around the bed to do up her bra.

"You've been wearing these how many years and you still can buckle them?" he asked sarcastically as he let the strap slap her skin. She looked over her shoulder at him annoyed.

"Well, you don't have much room to talk…you fumble trying to get it undone with two hands," Akemi said sweetly as she bent down and grabbed her jeans, letting her curves brush against his hips; he knew what she was up to and it only served to annoy him, she was not going to stay the night. "Uchiha could get it undone with only one hand and made it seem like it was child's play."

"Don't talk about Uchiha in my room after we just fucked," Sora said with a roll of his eyes. "I hate that douchebag."

"He's not interested in Koizumi anymore," Akemi said, not listening to him. "He dropped her like a rock, just like I said he would."

"But now she wants nothing to do with me," Sora said as he crossed his arms. "Just stop talking about this; it's your fault that you made me fuck everything up."

"Shut your trap and stop bitching," Akemi said with a roll of her green eyes. "She will come around to you because she's a whore and will jump on anything that moves. Just let her 'forgive' you. I hate to let you know that this is all just a game for her anyways…she's a carnivore and she will devour you alive."

"What did I say about talking that way about her?" Sora asked in a hiss as he frowned deeply at her. "Shut your mouth."

"What? Can't make up your mind? I'm fairly sure you asked me to open it pretty wide about twenty minutes ago," she said as she pulled on her shirt with a sly smile stretched across her lips.

"Hurry up and get out," he said as he crossed his arms over his bare chest. "If I do get Hikari to come around, you're not to talk to me at school, go it?"

"I wonder how she'd feel knowing you're actually having sex with me in your spare time," Akemi said with a yawn as she put on her shoes and then walked towards his window.

"You're not going to say anything, so she will never know," Sora said bitterly.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Akemi said as she reached up and opened his window. "Give me a boost."

He sighed with irritation, but helped her anyways, so long as it would get her out of his room. She pushed the screen out and then crawled through the opening. She turned back to him and pointed towards her bag, which he passed up to her.

"That was fun, let's get together again sometime," she said with a smile.

"Not likely," he said as he folded his arms again.

"You've said that the last three times…" she said as she put his screen back. "I'll come over to 'study' again next weekend."

He shook his head and then closed the window before he turned away from her and headed back towards his bed. He flung himself down and then covered himself with his blankets again, but all he could smell was her cheap perfume. He let out a frustrated groan and then flipped his pillows over, hoping to dilute the sent. It didn't help. He just wished he smelt Hikari's spiced vanilla scent there instead, he knew would fall fast asleep if that was the case.

…

Hikari finished practicing the new song she had been planning for the talent show and was happy with the way it was going; she hadn't told Asami that she had changed her song yet and she was afraid to tell her, she did not want the teacher to tell her it was too late. She had actually contemplated just telling the audience she switched and giving the music-manager backstage the disk the new song on it.

Hikari walked to her bed and laid down, stretching out and thinking of taking a nap; it was Sunday afternoon, she had nothing better to do, so she didn't see a problem with her plans. However, before she could close her eyes, her phone rang. She looked at the screen and saw it was an unknown number, thinking it was her father, she answered.

"Hello?" she asked with a sigh.

"Hikari?"

"Yes, this is her," she said as she grew more confused; that wasn't her father's voice. "Who is this?"

"I'm sorry I didn't call displaying my number, but you would not have answered," the voice said, she could hear the sadness in his tone.

"Sora," she said with a frown. "What do you want?"

"Another chance, please," he begged. "I will do anything; I just want you to be my friend again."

Hikari sighed and then closed her eyes.

"Look, Sora, I really do not want to get into this right now," Hikari said stressfully. "I have to prepare for the talent show and I have a lot of personal stuff going on right now. I just don't want you in my life anymore and the way you're starting to bother me is getting annoying."

"How can you say you don't want me in your life anymore?" he asked in a plea. "How is it that easy to drop me like our friendship meant nothing?" Hikari drew in a deep sigh. "Please, Hikari, we were like best friends and I really want another chance. No more bitching about Uchiha and his ulterior motives. I will only focus on our friendship."

"Look, just so you know, Sasuke did drop me…like you said he would," Hikari said with a frown. "I don't know if it's because what you said or not, but he did. Maybe I should go easier on you…those things you did and said, you only did them to look out for me and you were right, he did hurt me."

"Please, Hikari," he whispered. "I just want a chance again, please."

"But even if he did do those things, you said horrible things to me," Hikari said tiredly.

"That was a mistake…it was me acting out of jealousy and there's no excuse…I am so sorry," he said in the same pleading tone he had been using the entire time.

Even though she felt like it was a bad idea, she broke, desperate for some sense of normality to return to her.

"Fine…" Hikari said as she bit her lip. "Are you busy? Let's get a tea and talk."

"No, I'm not," Sora said with obvious happiness in his tone. "I will walk to your house and we can go together. I want to spend as much time with you as possible."

Hikari felt her lips pick up into a small smile.

"Alright, see you in twenty?"

"Yeah, bye Hikari."

"Bye."

She took her phone away from her ear and hung up, not sure of how she felt about this; it hadn't quite settled. Without thinking much more on it, she got up and began to go towards her closet, hunting for a sweater and a jacket. Her phone buzzed in her hand. She brought it up to where she could see the message, wondering if Sora had cancelled or something, however the text was from an unknown source.

'_He's not what you think, darling_.'

Hikari frowned and then deleted the text before putting her phone in her pants pocket; it was probably a wrong number.

…

"Uchiha, you owe me," Akemi said as she barged into his house the moment he opened the door.

"Excuse me?" Sasuke asked for a glare. "I didn't even invite you in."

"Well, you owe me a favour and I'm claiming it," she said as she began to pace in his foyer.

"I don't owe you a thing," he said as he crossed his arms. "My brother's in the other room, I'd prefer if you get out."

Akemi rolled her eyes and grabbed onto his sleeve, dragging him out of the house.

"Seriously, don't touch me," he said scornfully.

"Just shut up and listen to me," Akemi said forcefully. "You and I both know I saved your ass already once, I stopped them from getting together."

"And I already told you that I don't care who Koizumi is with," he said bitterly. "Would you lay off this?"

"No, we both know that you do care because despite being such a thick-headed moron, you actually do like her," Akemi said with a frown, "but Sora's in the picture again and right now you're so screwed."

Sasuke crossed his arms.

"I'm serious, they're meeting up for coffee, I overheard him talking to her on the phone," Akemi said as she threw her hands up. "She believes him about your little game, so you need to get her away from him and interested in you again!"

The raven haired teen raised a thin brow.

"Why should I help you?" he asked as he looked down on her. "Obviously you want me to do his because you want him for yourself."

"Yes! I do! Okay, are you happy? I want him all to myself even though he treats me like crap!" she said loudly, "but I can't have him if that skank is wrapping him around her finger again!"

Sasuke frowned at her.

"Why does everyone dislike it when I call her a mean name?" she demanded as she blew out a frustrated huff. "She is not some innocent princess!" Akemi tightened her hands into fists. "God, I worked so hard to break them up, this cannot happen!"

Sasuke turned back towards the house.

"Come on, Uchiha, be a man so she can't steal mine," Akemi begged as he retreated in his house. "You owe me! You've fucked up my life so much with these games and I don't want to play them anymore, come on! You owe me!"

Sasuke shut his door in her face, completely shutting her down. Akemi sighed as she turned around and slowly walked back to her car. When she got into the driver's seat, she resting her head on her arms that she put on top of the steering wheel and began to cry; she didn't know who to turn to anymore.


	37. Chapter Thirty-Seven

**Chapter Thirty-Seven:**

"You promise there will be no more mention of Uchiha?" Hikari asked as she looked Sora up and down sceptically. "Even if we do make up and become friends again?"

"I promise," Sora said confidentially with a smile. "_Like that will ever happen anyways…he's done with you_."

"And Akemi? What about her?" Hikari asked as she raised her brow. "She and I do not exactly see eye-to-eye and we really cannot be in the same room without trying to kill each other."

"Akemi's nothing, I was just hanging around her because she approached me with this master plan to try and break you up with Sasuke so she could have him for herself," he said with a shrug. "It wasn't working, so after a while I told her to get lost."

"Sasuke and I weren't dating; there was nothing to break up. He's just not into her," Hikari said with a roll of her eyes. "She's worse than Sakura, and that's pretty hard title to obtain."

"Look, let's just forget about Akemi and Sasuke," Sora said as he reached across the table and took her hand in his. "Let's just start over." He shook her hand and gave her the same friendly smile he did the first day they met. "Hi, I'm Sora."

Hikari felt herself laugh involuntarily and found that the more he worked his charm on her, the more she didn't care about the past. When she dug really deep down, she missed him too.

"I'm Hikari," she said with a friendly smile. Hikari reached into her purse and took out the ticket she had brought, intending to give to him if he proved himself truthful about trying to make up. "I was given some tickets for my guests at the talent show this Friday, I was hoping you'd come." Hikari slid the ticket across the table.

"Oh, but isn't it a bit soon? We just met," Sora said in a teasing tone.

"Shut up and take the damn ticket," Hikari said as she reached across the table and playfully smacked his arm. "You had better come too…"

"I will," he said as he took the ticket and put it in his jean's back pocket. "I wouldn't miss it, Hikari. I was going to go anyways because I heard you were preforming. Are you playing cello?"

Hikari blushed for reasons she didn't understand then felt herself become shy.

"No," she said as she fidgeted. "I'm, uh…singing."

"You can sing?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

"Well, I hope so," Hikari said with a nervous laugh, "or I could be in trouble."

Sora smiled that smile that always made her heart lift a little.

"You'll do great, Hikari."

…

"Stop being so damn stubborn, Koizumi," Sasuke demanded as he sat next to her in their music class on Thursday morning. "I refuse to fail this project because you want to be petty, just come to my house and practice tomorrow."

Hikari huffed and crossed her arms.

"Even if I did want to, I couldn't," Hikari said dully as she watched Asami draw notes on the chalkboard. "I have previous arrangements."

"Like what?" he asked in a hiss.

"I happen to be in the talent show that night, so I can't practice," she snapped. "Just stop bothering me. I told you what you had to do to get me not to fail you."

"I am not apologizing to you," he said stubbornly.

"Then I'm not practicing with you, it's as simple as that," Hikari said with a smirk as she began to gather her things.

"Koizumi…" he threatened in a low tone. "You're really pissing me off."

"Hold on…let me check if I care," Hikari said as she put her hand to her chin in thought. "Sorry, nope." Hikari stood as the bell rang and turned towards him. "Look, if you want me to work with you, I expect an apology. This project's due for the Christmas assembly, so you had better get cracking, November's practically over."

Hikari smiled at him once again before she turned around and caught up to Sora and began to walk with him, talking animatedly about something. Sasuke didn't care though, he only cared that Akemi was right and yet again he found himself back at square one, trying to figure out how to separate Hayate and Hikari. The only difference this time was the fact that it wasn't because he simply didn't want Sora to have her, this time he wanted her for himself.

…

"You did what?" Asami demanded as her eyes bugged.

"I changed my song?" Hikari asked as she shied away from her teacher. "I did it like a week ago and have been practicing for the show."

"Why?" Asami demanded as she began to pace. "Why would you _tell_ me?"

"Well, I was afraid of a reaction like this one," Hikari admitted as she twiddled her fingers. "I can sing it well…I showed Daisuke."

Asami furiously turned to her brother and shot him the most scornful look Hikari had ever seen come from a woman; she wasn't even aware that Asami could make a face like that, but seeing it made Hikari fearful of ticking her off.

"Hey, don't blame me little sister," Daisuke said as he put his hands up in defeat. "She made that decision on her own."

Asami turned back on Hikari and her brow twitched.

"What are you singing?"

"Uh…I don't think I want to tell you," Hikari said a little fearfully.

"Tell me!"

"It's a dedication for my mom," Hikari squeaked with widened eyes. "When I found out about what happened, I thought I should sing something for her…I want to."

Asami's eyes softened and she sighed.

"Okay," she said gently, resuming her usual personality. "Will you at least show me or tell me?"

"No," Hikari said with a nervous laugh. "I think one surprise is enough for tonight…just watch me perform it tomorrow."

Asami's brow twitched and she resumed that terrifying expression.

"God, I hope Kakashi never makes you angry," Hikari said as she rushed towards Daisuke and attempted to hide behind him. "Protect me," she whispered.

"You're on your own, kid."


	38. Chapter Thirty-Eight

**Chapter Thirty-Eight:**

"Kakashi?" Hikari asked as she ventured out into the living area of her house; she was starkly surprised to find him not on the couch reading a book, but sitting at the table grading essays. Why the thought of a teacher doing his job surprised her, she wasn't sure; she thought it had something to do with the fact that he spent most of the time on his couch reading some smut novel.

Kakashi looked up from his pile of essays with a look of pure annoyance. She felt a little small suddenly, afraid that he might lash out at her, but then she realised that the annoyance wasn't towards her, but the essay he was marking when he began to start crossing out paragraphs on the paper.

"Plagiarism," he said to Hikari as he looked back up at her. "This kid thought he could get away with plagiarising my own work."

Hikari laughed a little to herself but then stopped when she caught the expression on his face; he did not find it amusing. She found it quite hilarious that some kid had the balls to hand Kakashi's essay into him and try to pass it off as their own.

"Anyways," she said as she coughed and then handed him a ticket. "Will you come tonight?"

"I don't know," he said as he took the ticket. "I think I might be busy."

Hikari frowned and then crossed her arms.

"Do you honestly think I'd skip out?" he asked with a quirked brow, smiling.

"Well, I thought I'd be polite and invite you myself instead of just throwing a ticket at you," Hikari said with a huff.

"Yes, I will come," Kakashi said as he put the ticket in his pants pocket.

Hikari looked back at his stack of essays.

"Have you got to mine yet?"

"Nope," he said as he looked back down at the physical representation of disappointment and failure he was holding in his hands. "Do you want to help me mark these?"

"I don't think I'm allowed too," she said with a laugh.

"You're right…I think that would breach some kind of code of ethics," Kakashi said with a sigh.

"I'll mark my own though," she said with a sweet smile. "I would get one-hundred percent though."

Kakashi smiled in return and then shook his head.

"No, I don't think so," he said as he threw the paper in his hand down into the marked pile. "Nice try though."

Hikari laughed as she turned around and headed back towards her room.

"The shows in three hours," Hikari called back to him. "I'm going to go get dressed and then head out because I promised to go get a cup of tea with Sora before the show."

"Sora?" Kakashi asked with genuine surprise. "I thought you weren't talking to him."

"I wasn't, but now I am again," Hikari said with a shrug as she leaned on the wall of the hallway and looked at Kakashi.

"Are teenagers always this bipolar?" he asked as he shook his head. "I swear, you people go through more friends than celebrities go through marriages."

"Hey! I am insulted," Hikari said with a frown. "I am only talking him because he practically begged me too…that and I hardly have any friends anymore."

"Well don't go putting too much faith in him," Kakashi said with a sigh. "Teenage boys really are jerks."

Hikari laughed and then turned and continued to walk down the halls.

"Well, they say that teenage girls are addicted to drama, so whatever…"

…

Hikari brushed through her hair, feeling uneasy about agreeing to meet with Sora again; now that Kakashi had questioned it, she wondered if he was right. She bit her lip and tried to push down the nausea she was feeling now that she had become so nervous. She was absolutely anxious about everything, so nervous her hands shook if she wasn't concentrating on something to keep them steady.

"_I have to sing in front of so many people_," she thought with a frown pulling at her lips; she had never sung in front of an audience before, at least one that was anything other than family. She took in a deep breath and released it, just to feel the air fill her lungs. "I'll be fine."

Hikari finished her outfit off by putting a dark crimson coloured headband in her hair. However, when she drifted to her closet to put on her jacket, it was missing.

"Oh, crap," she said with a frown as she rolled her eyes. "I forgot it at school in my locker…" She began to look at her other jackets and then got upset that none of them matched the crimson dress she was wearing; the colours would complete clash. "Okay, I will just wear a sweater there and then take it off and preform without it."

Hikari slipped on a black cardigan, knowing it was thin, but it was the only thing she had that would match the dress' material, and then slipped on her pumps.

"I'll just drive with the heat cranked," she said with a hallow laugh as she grabbed her purse and then rushed out of her room, closing the door behind her. As she came out into the living room, she found Kakashi where she expected him to be this time, reading his book. She walked over to him in a brisk fashion and then messed up his hair. "I'll see you at the show," she said with a faux sweet smile as she darted for the door.

The cold winter air nipped at her legs and she made impressive time running down the driveway and jumping in her car; she wished she had come out and started the engine earlier, because the car was freezing and the leather seats were no less forgiving than the wind outside. After taking a deep breath she started the car and then waited for it to heat up before pulling out of the driveway and heading towards the local cafe she was supposed to meet Sora at.

…

"God, Hikari," Sora said when he saw her, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging slightly agape. "You look…"

"Oh, I knew I should have drove to get that jacket," Hikari said foully as she looked down at her dress with a frown. "The jacket makes the whole outfit."

Sora shook his head and then looked back up at her face.

"No, Hikari you look stunning," he said as his cheeks pinked and he scratched the back of his head. "A knock out, you're going to have all eyes on you."

Hikari closed her eyes and tried to supress the wave of nausea that hit her with his words.

"Uh, you shouldn't have said that to me," she said quietly as she brought her hand to her mouth. "I suddenly got really nervous out of nowhere."

"You'll do fine," he said as he clasped her shoulder. "You look great and whatever you're going to do is going to be better. I don't have a doubt in my mind that you're going to win this."

"I don't have interest in winning," Hikari said as she looked at him and then the server who was waiting for them to come to the counter. She walked up to the woman and gave her an apologetic smile. "Hi," she said as she looked at Sora and then to the selection of teas and coffee. "Can I get a chai-tea latte and a blueberry muffin?"

"Absolutely," the woman said with a friendly smile. "Is that everything?"

"Ah, no," Sora said as he stepped forwards. "Black coffee and a," he looked at the baked goods and then back at the cashier, "a ginger-spiced muffin."

"That will be nine dollars and twenty six cents," the woman said with a smile.

"I've got this," Sora said lightly as he reached into his wallet and pulled out a ten dollar bill.

It was a quick glance, almost nothing, but it made Hikari feel like running into the nearest bathroom. She just hoped that maybe he had cashed a check, or that maybe he had been given a lot of cash, but Hikari was sure she had seen multiple hundred-dollar bills. Those were the type of people she was supposed to investigate and report and the only people she had found carrying around cash like that were some of the people she had come to call her friends. She had seen it now, which was something she was trying to avoid, so now she was protecting another person from her father. Hikari bit her lip and tried to comfort herself, but nothing helped. She was sure she didn't have much of an appetite anymore.

"Hey," Sora said as he turned to her and pushed a cup and a bag into her hand. She shook out of her trance and took them, apologising with her smile for spacing off.

Hikari walked with him and sat down at one of the tables and opened the bag that her muffin was in. She took it out and began to tear a piece off the topic, bringing it to her mouth and nibbling on it lightly.

"Not hungry?" Sora asked as he took out his own snack and tore the top off, eating it in a couple of bites.

"No, I am, it's just that I'm so nervous I feel sick," Hikari said with a sheepish smile as she glanced up into his eyes.

"Eat up," he said with a cheery smile, "I promise it will make you feel better."

"I don't think you can actually promise that," she said as she managed to push out a chuckle, "but I will trust you and try to eat."

"Good," he said as he pushed her tea towards her. "You're going to need it."

…

"Sora?" Hoshi asked with surprised written upon his features. Hoshi regarded his brother sceptically and then crossed his arms. "I thought you said you could not be bothered with such a childish event of showing-off."

Sora lazily looked towards his brother from his seat in the auditorium and then shrugged.

"Eh, I changed my mind," he said with a drawl as he placed the cardigan and purse he had been holding on the arm of his seat.

"So, you decided to support Akemi after all?" Hoshi asked as he nodded thoughtfully. "She was pretty distraught when you refused."

"I'm not here for Akemi," Sora said as he looked up at his brother again.

"No?"

"Nope," he said as he looked back towards the stage.

"Then who?" Hoshi looked towards the cardigan and purse Sora had. "Is that Hikari's?"

"Yeah, she got hot in here and asked me to hold them," Sora said as he looked at the articles in question. "She's very nervous."

Hoshi sighed and then brought his thumb and forefinger to his brow.

"Sora…"

"What Hoshi?" Sora snapped quietly. "If this is another 'don't get involved' lecture, I don't want to hear it."

"Sora you cannot just switch back and forth between those two girls," Hoshi hissed as he bent down closer to his brother so no one overheard. "You're going to hurt someone."

"It's not like I'm bed-hopping," Sora said with a sneer.

"I know you've had Akemi in your room far past the time she should have been," Hoshi whispered harshly. "Do you honestly think I can't hear your headboard knocking against the wall we share?"

Sora's cheeks heating and he quickly looked towards the stage again.

"So what? I've nailed the skank a few times, big deal," Sora said as he stretched and cracked his knuckles. "It was nothing but some well-deserved stress relief."

Hoshi glared down at his brother.

"You cannot treat these women like they're your toys, especially Akemi," Hoshi spat, "that girl cares for you. She does not see your relationship as mutual stress-relief."

Sora scoffed and crossed his arms, still refusing to look towards his brother; his eyes were much more fixated on the velvety curtains that adorned the stage that Hikari would soon be singing from.

"That bitch just wants Uchiha's cock and she's using me to get it," Sora said with a cruel smile. "So what if I stuck it to her a couple of times before he could? That's his game isn't it?"

Hoshi shook his head.

"I am so disappointed in you," he said with a deep frown pulling at his lips. "Don't you see you've turned into the very thing you hated? You've become just like him."

Sora hastily stood to his feet and got into his brother's face, pointing.

"Do _not_ compare me to Uchiha," he hissed.

"I wouldn't have to if you were acting like a decent human being," Hoshi said as he began to turn around. "By the way, I don't know if you're just stupid or you're doing all of this on purpose, but as soon as Hikari finds out you slept with Akemi, she will be right back into Sasuke's arms again."

"She won't find out," Sora demanded hostilely, however, his voice did not remain above a whisper, "because the only three people who know are you, Akemi and I."

Hoshi shook his head and then began to walk again.

"By the way, stay away from me," Hoshi said firmly as he looked over his shoulder. "My girlfriend hates your guts because you've been playing one of her best friends, I wouldn't want her to leave me because you're a shallow jackass who also happens to be my brother."

"Whatever, choose some girl over your brother!" Sora said as he watched Hoshi walk away. He turned and began to walk out of the auditorium with Hikari's purse and cardigan in hand; he'd go to the washroom, walk the halls to clear his mind and then come back.


	39. Chapter Thirty-Nine

**Chapter Thirty-Nine:**

"Oh, where is Sora?" Hikari said as her eyes flicked around the auditorium. "I need to get some air and he has my stuff."

Hikari rolled her eyes and then headed for the exit anyways, stepping into the chilly December air. Right outside the door Shikamaru stood, taking a drag of a lit cigarette.

"You smoke?" she asked with a raised brow as she walked towards him and rubbed her arms.

"Asuma got me into it," he said with a shrug as he exhaled the smoke.

"Here, let me have a drag, my nerves are shot," she said as she held out her hand. He passed over the cigarette and she took a deep puff, not for the first time, and held the smoke in her lungs before exhaling again.

As she flicked the ashes another car drove into the parking lot and Hikari was very shocked to see Sasuke get out of his second-hand Chevy. She didn't know of anyone he was supporting and she knew he wasn't in the show; she couldn't figure out what he was doing at an event like this, it was not his scene. She shrugged and rolled her eyes, telling herself she didn't care and shivered as she took another drag of Shikamaru's cigarette. Not only was Sasuke coming to the show, but he decided to approach them by the back door. After she flicked the ashes again, she passed it back, feeling a little less nervous.

"You smoke?" Sasuke asked as he looked towards Shikamaru and noticed a faint trace of Hikari's pale-pink lipstick stark against the white of the filter.

"Once in a while," she admitted as she shivered, "when I am really nervous."

Sasuke watched as Shikamaru took a long drag and then stomped out the rest of his cigarette before headed back inside, he didn't look back at Hikari until he was gone; she was shivering again, rubbing her arms with her hands as her breath came out in puffy wisps of cloud.

"Don't you have a coat?" he asked as he looked her up and down with a raised brow.

"It walked off," she admitted with a sheepish smile.

Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes as he shrugged his arms out of his leather jacket and then handed it to her. She looked up at him, shocked that he was offering her some kind of kindness since their ugly confrontation over his shirt. Remembering the incident, she narrowed her eyes.

"Do I keep it after because I have cooties?" she asked sarcastically.

"No, this I want back," he said as he pushed it into her arms. Hikari stood there, not knowing how to make heads or tails of the situation. "Do I need to make you put it on? You're going to get sick."

She blushed as she snapped out of her trance and then swung his jacket around her shoulders and slid her arms through the holes; it was broken in well and fit in length, however, the chest was made for a man and was too broad in the shoulders. The fabric was still warm and she smiled when his scent invaded her nose almost instantly.

"Look, I'm sorry," he said as he stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets; Hikari was relieved to see that he was at least wearing a long-sleeved shirt.

"Excuse me?" she asked as he head snapped up to look at his face.

"You heard me, Koizumi," he said seriously. "I was in a bad mood that day with everyone talking about you like that…I just wasn't thinking."

Hikari rolled her eyes and looked towards the ground.

"You're just doing this all because you don't want to fail," she said stubbornly, unwilling to believe he had a shred of kindness.

"Do you honestly think I care?" Sasuke asked as he raised his brow. "I am in your history class because I flunked it last year. I simply was cruel because I thought if I separated myself from you, people would stop ridiculing you."

Hikari scoffed.

"Well the animosity was not enjoyed," Hikari said harshly, "and what about the park? There was no one around then."

"That was my fault," he said with a shrug. "I was dealing with some stuff."

"So you're telling me you have a habit of snapping at people who don't deserve it?" Hikari asked with a raised brow as she crossed her arms and shifted her weight onto one leg. 7

"Call it what you will," he said as he looked her in the eye; he was staring at her the way he used to, his dark eyes seeping into her own intensely. "You should be happy; I think you're the first person I have apologised to in a long time."

Hikari suddenly realised she could not be mad at him anymore, he had done what she never thought he could do, what she thought he never would do. She had only asked him to apologise to her in the first place because she knew he would rather try to break up cement by chewing on it than admit he was wrong. Hikari looked up at him with a smile, knowing that facing her was taking a huge hit to his ego.

"Thank you for apologising…and for the jacket."

Sasuke scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Come on," he said as he opened the door. "You're due on stage in ten minutes…"

…

Hikari paced back and forth back stage, a little less nervous than before. However, it was not the few drags of Shikamaru's cigarette that had managed to calm her nerves by a fraction, but the scent of Sasuke's jacket; it was that musty-pine smell that she loved, the one that seemed to cling to the teen wherever he went.

"Hikari Koizumi?" the stage manager called.

Hikari stepped forwards, rolling up the sleeves of Sasuke's jacket and taking the microphone from one of the assistants. She felt as if she was on some reality TV-show, the ones where they assess talent and hand out huge amounts of cash. However, the judges who sat in front of her were representatives from the city, not celebrities and singing in front of the crowd would not bring her fame.

"Hi," Hikari said as she placed the microphone on its stand. "It says in my original application that I am supposed to sing _Paris_ by _Grace Potter and the Nocturnals_, but this was changed last week."

The judges quietly whispered to themselves before the female leaned forwards.

"Why did you change your song?"

"Well, I found out about something terrible that happened to my mother when she was young and I wanted to honour her memory by singing a song more appropriate," Hikari explained with a nervous smile.

"Very well," the male said as he leant back. "What's the song now?"

"I'm singing _Fall From Grace_ by _Times of Grace_, however the lyrics are arranged a little differently and some words are swapped out to fit the perspective of a woman.

Hikari looked towards the backstage and held up her thumb to tell them to start the track; it started off with slow piano. When it came time for her to sing, she found herself looking into the eyes of hundreds; people from the community, people from her school and then her eyes connected with Sasuke's. She swallowed her fear and forced the words from her mouth.

"_At the end of her rope, hanging by a thread, she'd give anything for this to just go away_," Hikari sang softly as she tried to look all around the auditorium and into the eyes of as many individuals as possible; she was trying her hardest not to curl up into her own little shell and sing to the floor. Soft guitar riffs filled the auditorium to compliment her voice as she sang. "_Her grip is only so strong, she tries to hold on tightly, but it's all slipping through her fingers_." Hikari swallowed and began to slowly raise her voice and sing strongly with the crescendo. "_In a fleeting moment, aspirations bled dry, eyes that once beamed with hope now only stare in remorse_." The music broke into a symphony of drums and guitars and Hikari closed her eyes, trying very hard not to let her emotions get the best of her as she sang the chorus and raised her pitch, hanging onto the microphone stand tightly as she did. "_Even through this pain, I will feel again. Even through these tears, I will love again. Even through this pain, I will feel again. Even through these tears, I will love again._"

Hikari took a deep breath and looked around again, preparing to carry the song into the second verse once the guitar solo was done. She could feel the tears prickling her eyes; she just hoped they would not stream down until after the performance.  
"_There will be no pity! There will be no sorrow, for today her hands tremble, but her heart will never give in!_" Hikari could not bear to be angry with herself when the tears began to run down her face and her hands begun to shake, but she pushed through, knowing her mother would be proud. She looked through the audience and smiled even in her sadness when she saw her uncle, smiling. "_Even through this pain, I will feel again. Even through these tears, I will love again. Even through this pain, I will feel again. Even through these tears, I will love again_." Hikari swallowed and began to sing the next part softly, trying to calm herself enough to do it well. "_Now these tears she cries are tears of joy and the breath she breathes is a sigh of relief_." Hikari bellowed out the last rearrangement of the chorus, really letting her voice echo around the auditorium. "_And she will not fall, fall from grace! And she will not fall! Aaaaaaaaahhhh, she will not fall from grace! Aaaaaaaaahhhh, I will not fall from grace. She's at the end of her rope. Ah la-la. She's at the end of her rope. Ah la-la. She's at the end of her rope, she will feel again. She's at the end of her rope, she will love again._"

When Hikari finished the tears were streaming from her eyes as she hastily wiped them away while her uncle stood up, loudly clapping and whistling. She smiled despite not being able to help the emotions that bled out of her. She bit her lip as many others began to stand up and clap.

One of the judges leant forwards and smiled at her.

"Sweet-heart?" the woman asked as she looked into Hikari's eyes. "Do you mind telling us what happened to your mother?"

Hikari sucked in the air around her and bit her tongue, unsure of if she wanted everyone to know. She looked towards Daisuke for some sort of support and he nodded at her. She looked back at the blond judge and nodded hesitantly before bringing herself back in front of the microphone.

"When my mother was not much older than I am, she was violently raped by an intruder who entered her home," Hikari said as she tried to take deep breathes to calm herself, "but despite having such a horrible thing happen, she picked up the pieces and managed to find a man who loved her and eventually started a family with him. My mother passed away about six years ago in late December, so I thought I should honour her."

The judges looked at each other and nodded before the woman turned back to her.

"You're a very brave young woman," she said with a smile. "Thank you for sharing that with us."

Hikari smiled before waving at the crowd and walking off stage, handing the microphone to the assistant waiting for her.

"That was beautiful," the man said as tears leaked out of his watery eyes. She felt bad suddenly, like she had made someone cry.

"Thank you," she said with a shy smile.

Hikari walked past him and then into the auditorium, she frowned when she looked around the room and didn't see Sora where they were supposed to sit; she thought she hadn't seen him when she was singing, but she figured that maybe it was because she was on the stage and the lighting was making it hard to see. She dropped her eyes as she realised he hadn't watched her sing.

Hikari sighed as she walked towards Daisuke who was clapping for her. She smiled as he wrapped her in a bone crushing hug.

"That was so good, kid!" he said as he held her tightly. "Forget about saving the best for last, they put you up first!"

"The singers were scheduled first and I was the first one out of the three of us alphabetically," Hikari explained with a shrug.

"When do you know if you win?" Daisuke asked with a large grin.

Akemi came up from behind him and smacked his shoulder.

"Stop it, there are other parents here too you know," she said in a hush. Kakashi walked with her, smiling about the situation. "All the performances get recorded and then the judges deliberate for the next three days. After that, the results will be posted at the end of the week."

"How do you know?" Daisuke demanded as he turned to his sister, his arm still wrapped around Hikari's shoulders.

"My friend Kara is one of the judges," she explained with a shrug.

"Come on, sit with us, I have a free seat," Daisuke said as he began to lead her towards where they were sitting. Hikari looked over her shoulder towards the seats her and Sora's tickets gave them, both were empty. She sighed and walked with Daisuke, putting a smile on her face.

They watched all of the singers and had broken into the dancers by the time Akemi got on stage. Hikari watched her dance, a little amazing that the girl could actually dance with the talent she showed; Hikari was not a fan of contemporary dancers, but Akemi made it look good.

"She's competition," Daisuke whispered to her as he watched the girl leap across the stage, taking strong stances with the music.

"Yeah, I know," Hikari whispered back as she watched the girl sink into her ending pose, "and I hate her."

Clapping erupted throughout the auditorium and Akemi gave the audience a bow and a twirl.

"Alright, we're going to take a ten minute intermission," the female judge named Kara said loudly.

Hikari stood and stretched, smiling at people as they passed.

"I'm going to be right back," Hikari said to her family before she left them.

She walked into the halls, yawning. She felt tired, yet satisfied with the night; she had done what she set out to do, prove to the boys she could be fine without them and they had both tried to make up with her. Maybe Asami was onto something.

"Hey," someone said from behind her as she walked towards her locker. Hikari turned around and saw Sasuke, she gave him a smile. "I didn't think you had it in you, Koizumi."

"Is that your way of saying 'Good job, Hikari'?" she asked as she put her hand on her hip.

Sasuke didn't respond but he turned in the opposite direction, Hikari followed him deciding that she would continue to talk to him.

"Yeah, I thought so," she said with a chuckle. "Did you see Akemi?"

"Yeah," he answered with a shrug. "She was okay."

"She was more than okay," Hikari said seriously. "She could win."

"It's just a talent show," Sasuke said indifferently.

"I know," she said with a laugh as she pushed him, "but I am just saying."

As they walked Hikari felt herself getting back into the mindset that she really liked him and it scared her.

"_What if Sora is right about Sasuke and he is playing me? Aren't I falling for it all over again_?"

She looked at his face and tried to see if he had any hostile intentions, but she couldn't see anything but a look of calmness. A loud crash snapped her away from her thoughts and she looked towards the bend in the hall that it came from. She turned her head back to Sasuke.

"Stay here," he said as he walked forwards and looked down the side hall. When he saw whatever it was, his eyes narrowed a little.

"What is it?" she asked.

He didn't answer and began to walk forwards. She heard another crash and felt herself walking towards the scene despite what he told her. When she rounded the corner, she had just enough time to see Sasuke punch Sora directly in the nose. Akemi screamed and tried to flatten out her mess of hair and Sora's nose began to bleed as he held it. Hikari felt her heart sink; it turned out that she should have been more worried about Sora than Sasuke.

"They were fucking around, weren't they?" she asked Sasuke as she walked up to him.

"I told you to stay back there," Sasuke said as he looked over his shoulder.

"What the fuck?" Sora yelled as he took away his hand and looked at the blood smeared onto his palm.

When Hikari got a closer look at him she saw that Akemi had managed to unhook several buttons of his shirt and his pants. She frowned and then stomped up to him, yanking her purse and cardigan away from his hand. Hikari turned towards Sasuke and tried to hide the hurt she felt from her face.

"Let's go," she hissed as she grabbed his arm and began to drag him behind her.

"Hikari," Sora said as he rushed towards her and tried to step in front of her. "Please, this is not what you think."

"Not what I think?" she asked as she scoffed. "Okay, I'm blind."

"Hikari," Sora said as he grabbed her shoulder with his unstained hand and looked directly into his eyes, his own sky-blue orbs pleading for her forgiveness. "Please believe me! They set this up!"

"I'm not going to hear any more of those fucking excuses leave your lying mouth!" Hikari yelled as she shoved him hard. She narrowed her eyes and advanced on him, raising his fist in all her rage; however, before she could swing, Akemi yanked her arm backwards with tremendous force, trying to dislocate her shoulder and making her drop her purse and overcoat.

"Don't touch him you stupid slut!" she yelled as she tried to twist Hikari's wrist after realising she didn't have the proper angle to force Hikari's shoulder into dislocating.

Hikari lost her temper and turned on the girl swiftly as she slammed her against the lockers behind them, freeing her arm in the process and slamming her forearm it into the girl's jugular, holding her in place. Akemi began to claw at her arm, her eyes bugging out as Hikari pushed unmercifully into her airway. Akemi tried her hardest to stab her sharp fingernails into Hikari's arm, but that only served to further anger the girl; Hikari launched her fist and slammed it against Akemi's jaw, making her head smack off the metal of the lockers so hard it indented it. When Hikari let Akemi fall to the ground, her lip was split open and bleeding profusely from the forceful contact of Hikari's metal ring.

"Call me a slut one more time you stupid bitch!" Hikari dared in a yell as she began to advance on Akemi who was retreating by crawling backwards, fear sketched across her face; before she could go further someone put their hand on her shoulder.

"That's enough," Sasuke said curtly.

"You are _not_ defending her in front of me after she just tried to break my arm," Hikari said sharply as she began to shake.

"No, I'm not, but you just busted her lip," Sasuke said seriously, "and unless you want to get expelled, you are going to walk away with me and no one will ever know about this."

Hikari looked towards Akemi and then spat on her as she glared. She turned on heel, picking up her things and shoving past Sora as she did, Sasuke following behind her.

"Not a word," she said as she turned to them with ferocity in her eyes, "or I will _hurt_ you both."


	40. Chapter Forty

**Chapter Forty:**

"Ugh!" Hikari said as she slammed the school doors behind her after Sasuke had walked out with his hands shoved in his pockets. "I can't believe I misjudged him that much!"

"Here, come on, you're not going home like this," Sasuke said with a sigh as he steered her to the back parking lot and then led her to his car.

"What? You want to take me home so that you can give me your fucking shirt and every fucking girl in this fucking school will think I am some kind of fucking slut, _again_," Hikari hissed as she whipped her arm away from him. Tears filled her eyes and she promptly tried to wipe them away. "I am so _fucking_ tired of all this stupid shit!"

Sasuke sighed again and then grabbed Hikari, wrapping her in a hug. She did not resist as she grabbed onto his sweater and buried her face into his shoulder, hysterically crying.

"I am so fucking stupid," she sobbed. "I should have known he would do something like this but I trusted him and he did it again!"

Sasuke did not respond, instead he simple held her until she calmed down, letting her take her own time to come around. She looked up into his eyes and frowned after a few minutes.

"God, I am such a bitch," she uttered quietly. "I'm sorry I snapped at you."

"Come on," Sasuke said as he walked to the car. He got into the driver's seat and buckled up. Hikari walked to the car and stared into the window until he reached over and rolled it down. "Are you coming or not? I don't have all night."

Hikari opened the door to his car and then got in the passenger's seat of his 1969 Chevrolet Camaro. She knew the model of the car and sometimes kind of wondered how he got his hands on a car that could cost twenty-grand used; he wasn't exactly swimming in disposable income. She shut the door and then did up her seatbelt as he shifted the gears and began to pull out of the parking lot.

Hikari pulled out her phone and texted her uncle.

'_Sorry I didn't come back; I'm going to hang out with my friend. I got some bad news delivered to me and I am a bit pissed so I am going to their house. Tell Kakashi for me. Thanks, xoxo._'

Hikari sighed and then put the device back in her purse, realising that some of its contents had been moved from the pockets they belonged in. She growled and forcefully zipped it shut. Sasuke looked towards her with his brow raised after he had pulled onto the main street.

"That bastard was in my stuff," she said with a huff. "I can't believe I let him hold my purse."

Sasuke smirked and looked towards the road again.

"Hey, do not smirk at me like that!"

…

Hikari sat on Sasuke's couch, waiting for the pizza to arrive as he chose a movie. The night was going frighteningly similar to how it had went two months prior and it only made her worry it would follow with the same kind of disastrous end.

"Not horror this time?" he asked with a smirk.

Hikari rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"No thank you," she huffed as she looked out the window. "Something normal…please."

Sasuke looked at her frowning face skeptically before grabbing one of the cases off the shelf and putting a movie in his game system. He took the controller and then sat down next to her, not leaving any space between their bodies. Hikari half paid attention as the film began.

"_Lord of the Rings_ is like two and a half hours long," Hikari said as she looked at him. "We'll be up until one in the morning."

"It's the extended version," he said with a crooked smile.

"Make two in the morning," Hikari said as she rolled her eyes and then focused them on the TV. "I didn't know you were into fantasy."

Sasuke shrugged.

"For all I know I could walk over there and find a ton of chick-flicks," Hikari said with a grin. Sasuke looked down at her with an unimpressed glare. "What? I found it funny."

"Just shut up and watch the movie," he said with an annoyed roll of his eyes.

"Make me," Hikari challenged as she stuck her tongue out at him.

Sasuke raised his brow as he looked down at her.

"I have duct tape somewhere downstairs," he threatened as he leaned back against the cushions and pointed towards the door.

"There is absolutely no way you would actually tie me up," Hikari said as she crossed her arms and raised her brow.

"If you don't shut up and let me watch this movie in peace, I might," he said with a frown as he looked towards the screen of the TV.

Hikari huffed and then leaned a little closer to him, hating how cold his room was; she could feel the bitter chill nipping at her cheeks and arms. He looked down at her, and thought about telling her to get lost, but instead he sighed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, letting her snuggle into his side.

Suddenly, a dark thought pushed itself into Hikari's mind; things didn't just naturally return to the way they were before a fight, they definitely didn't get better. It was like what happened with Sora, he had whispered sweet lies and then hurt her all over again. Hikari looked up at Sasuke's face and her heart wrenched; it was the same, he didn't have any intentions of being her friend, never mind returning her feelings. Hikari jerked herself away from him and stood, running her hands through her hair as she closed her eyes in frustration. A groan left her parted lips and she felt the familiar sensation of tears for the millionth time that night.

"What?" Sasuke asked as he rolled his eyes and paused the movie.

Hikari bit her tongue and then looked him in the eyes searching for something that would tell her he was the one person she could trust, something that would tell her that he was sincere, or something that would stop her from having to wreck anything they had that was salvageable, but all she saw was emptiness; his eyes were a blank slate.

"I…" Hikari shook her head as a sob escaped her lips. "I am so confused."

Sasuke stood too, walking closer to her and raising his brow.

"You don't mean any of this, do you?" she asked weakly as she looked up into his dark and indifferent eyes.

"What kind of question is that?" he asked as he shook his head and frowned.

Hikari averted her eyes to the floor, feeling so weak and defeating.

"This game you two play…it's so exhausting," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around her stomach, holding herself. "I can't figure out who is on my side and who is just there to hurt me…maybe it's not even me that's important to you two, maybe it's just winning."

Hikari turned away from him and walked to his window, lifting herself so she could sit on the large sill. She looked out into the night sky, praying for an answer because she knew Sasuke was not going to give her one.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked as he approached her.

"Don't play me for a fool!" she snapped as she tried to bite back her tears. "You two fight over me and then hurt me in the process, both of you. This may be some fucking game to you, but not to me. It hurts me."

"You think I am that much of a sociopath?" Sasuke asked coldly. "You think that I just don't care? That I shove aside the effect my actions have on you just so that I can stick it to that bastard?"

"That's exactly what I think!" Hikari said loudly. "Why else would you treat me like I am someone special to you one moment and then garbage the next?"

Sasuke groaned with frustration and then ran his hands through his hair.

"You stupid girl," he hissed through his teeth.

"Stupid!?" Hikari asked, outraged.

"The way I act has nothing to do with him!" Sasuke growled at her as his eyes snapped open.

"Then explain what happened with Akemi!" Hikari yelled as she stood and got in his face. "You left her as soon as she wrote Sora off!"

"Is that what he told you?" Sasuke barked as he turned away from her. She could tell she had made him angry; she could see it in his posture, everything was twisted and tense. He turned back on her and backed her into the window, making her stumble onto the seat. "That slut slept with him once we got serious, she didn't even try to hide it. Everyone knew about it and in the end it wasn't either of them who suffered."

Hikari was hopelessly confused now; who was lying? She couldn't try to figure it out with the way Sasuke loomed over her.

"I have fought so hard for you," he uttered as he shook his head.

"That's funny considering you turn into a major dick every time we get close," Hikari said bitterly with a snarl in her tone as she glared into his eyes. "If all of what you said is true and it's just him acting this way, why do you act like the way you do? What's your fucking excuse? Do you have any idea how unattractive that is?"

"Hikari, when I was ten my brother killed my parents and his girlfriend in a car accident," Sasuke hissed, "when I turned fourteen, two of my closest friends killed themselves…do you have any idea how hard it is for me to get close to people?" Sasuke tried to release tension, but she could see it wasn't working; he was pissed. "When I was fifteen, my girlfriend cheated on me with some stupid prick…that same stupid prick who is after the only person I have been able to feel a connection with for a long time."

Hikari's eyes widened as she held her breath; what the hell was she supposed to say to him? How could she possibly tell him to fuck off now that he revealed that?

"Hikari, I was a jerk because I'd rather push you away then lose control over who is in my life," Sasuke said as he closed his eyes. He opened them and then stared intensely into her eyes before pressing his palms against the cold glass on both sides of her head, trapping her. "But when you stopped talking to me, I realised I had done exactly what I have always done to people…and that I didn't want that this time around."

Hikari's breath hitched in her throat as his lips loomed over hers; she could feel his cool breath fanning over her face. They stared into each other's eyes, trying to read minds that were completely foreign to them and trying figure out the other's intensions; aubergine clashing with onyx, searching, feeling, and anticipating. Suddenly, Sasuke grabbed her head and forcefully pushed his lips against hers and watched as her eyes fluttered shut. Before he could pull away or move at all, Hikari dug her fingers into his hair and held his face against hers, savouring the kiss for all that it was worth. Her heart burst into flames and her stomach began to do flips as Sasuke pressed more into her, crushing her between the window and his body. Sparks flew between them as their energies, bodies, and personalities clashes; it charged the air, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand and goose bumps run down her arms. His hands fell to her hips, holding her sides and feeling the warm skin through the soft fabric of her dress. She wrapped her legs around his, making him buckle into her as she ran her hands down his back from his shoulders, pressing her fingers into the toned muscles beneath his t-shirt. Instead of falling, he steadied himself and then picked her up, walking her to his couch, not breaking the kiss as he set her down and then crawled on top of her. When he did break away from her lips, he wasted no time as he swept her long hair aside to nip and kiss at her jaw and neck. Hikari bit her lip and then closed her eyes as she ran her hands though his hair, not sure if they were going too far, but not caring enough to stop him.

It was like the some divine being had heard her thoughts, or Itachi just had terrible timing. He walked into the room, the scent of tomato sauce and cheese dispersing into the room with the pizza he carried, and his eyes widened upon the sight of the two tangled teenagers on the couch. Sasuke quickly jerked away from Hikari, making her hands slid down his arms and come to a rest at his wrists.

"Fuck, can't you knock?" Sasuke snarled as his eyes narrowed to a glare.

Itachi did not respond, he simply shrugged the sight off and then put the pizza down on the coffee table in front of them; he had been a teenager too briefly, he remembered what it was like.

"Sorry to barge in like that," Itachi said to Hikari with a small smile. "I didn't realise you were here."

"That's not an excuse," Sasuke hissed as he clenched his teeth.

"Hey, calm down," Hikari said softly as she looked up into his eyes. "He didn't know, it's not like he was just barging it, he was bringing you the pizza that I assume he paid for seeing as I didn't see you give him any cash."

Itachi averted his eyes to the floor as he sighed and then walked out of the room, closing the door behind him; Hikari watched him go and then frowned. No matter how much she kind of felt bad for him based on the way Sasuke treated him, he unnerved her to no end.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and then leant back onto his seat, letting his feet hit the floor and keeping his distance from her.

"Oh, so now that the moment's ruined, we're going to get all awkward?" Hikari asked with a frown as she dismissed the unappetising pizza.

Sasuke glanced at her and then back at the TV.

"No, I refuse to let that happen," she declared as she grabbed the pizza and then scooted to his side. She grabbed a slice and began to eat it as she picked up his arm and then draped it around her shoulder as she leaned into his chest.

Sasuke playfully rolled his eyes and shook his head before grabbing the PS3 controller and a slice of pizza. He looked down into her eyes one more time before he hit the play button, letting the fantasy movie resume.


	41. Chapter Forty-One

**Chapter Forty-One:**

Hikari had seriously thought about skipping out on wearing the Uchiha's shirt, but when she thought it over she didn't understand why she'd forsake feeling good about her own personal hygiene to have a day without any whispers in return; people could go fuck themselves for all that she cared. So, without any regrets she pulled the soft fabric of a dark blue graphic t-shirt over her head and then pulled her hair out from underneath. She liked this particular shirt because it had a screen-printed black silhouette of a raven perched on a bare branch etched across the torso of the fabric. His shirt was a little big on her, but she was thankful for that because without the extra cloth she was afraid her breasts would make the shirt seem tight. There was something about being able to fit in his clothes that brought a stupid grin to her lips, it made her feel connected to him somehow. Like always, his scent clung to the fabric but she was not complaining.

"Come on, Koizumi, how long does it take to put on a shirt?" Sasuke demanded from behind the door.

"As long as I damn well please," Hikari said with a smirk as she took his brush and tried to unknot her hair that had puffed out in waves of black silk.

Hikari looked down and smoothed out her clothes. As her fingertips brushed Sasuke's studded black belt that held up the soft denim of the jeans she wore that were a little too big, her expression became serious; Sasuke had ventured into his garage and then returned with them, saying they used to be his mom's. As soon as she had taken them into her hands, she knew he trusted her with something precious to him, even if it was just a piece of clothing and in that moment she knew she had to treat them with the utmost care. It was his mother's clothing and that's what was important; a small object that was the embodiment of his memories with his mother. After being in his house so many times, she realised that both he and Itachi kept small things that used to belong to their parents, small reminders that they had once existed, that they had once lived, laughed, smiled, and cried.

Hikari's mother came to her mind, red hair shining and lips stretched into a loving smile. It vanished just as quickly as it had come and left Hikari feeling empty. She hated that the most, that her memories would come and go and that's all she had left, all she could cling to. She could not talk to her memories, she could not hug them, and she certainly could not receive comfort from them. It was all because they only offered a reminder that the only person who had ever really cared for her was dead. It really shouldn't have been such a shock to her system anymore, but she couldn't help it. Every time she thought of her mother, she became immediately depressed, especially now that she got to think about how her mother became a mother on top of everything else.

"_I hate him_," Hikari decided with a frown as she crossed her arms. A thought suddenly occurred to her and it made her draw in a deep breath and really peer at her reflection in the mirror. "_Why am I aiming to take over an organization that was founded on the rape of my mother? He used her money to get started and then continued to milk her for all she was worth. Do I really want anything to do with something so disgusting_?"

"Come on Koizumi, I'm not going to wait around all day," Sasuke growled.

Hikari ripped her mind away from her heavy thoughts and then looked towards the door. She approached it with a sigh, opening it for him to see.

"Sorry, I spaced," she said with a sheepish smile.

"Let's go," he demanded as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"Yes, sir," she said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes and then followed him out the door.

Before she could go much further he suddenly turned on her and grabbed her arm, pulling her towards him until their lips met in a kiss that made butterflies flutter and her head spin. He held her there for a moment, just letting the sensation of her lips molding to his sink in for her. Hikari blinked rapidly as she tried to come back to reality after he pulled away.

"Uh, what was that for?" she asked stupidly as she looked up at his face.

"Do I need a reason?"

"Well, no…I guess not," Hikari said as she chewed on her lip, "but a little warning would be appreciated next time."

"Okay, well here's my warning," he said as he began to advance on her and then backed her up against the door. She swallowed as he trapped her with his hands, like he had the night before when she sat in the window.

When Sasuke's firm lips touched hers again, it was somehow more exciting and unexpected than before; her stomach was doing so many tumbles that she wasn't sure the free-falling sensation would ever go away. She wrapped her arms around him, lifting herself onto her tip toes and into his kiss, grinning; she didn't know one person could make her feel so carefree. He held her there longer than before, savouring her and in all honestly, she could care less about getting to school in time for music.

…

"Why are you two forty minutes late to my class?" Kakashi demanded as he eyed Hikari suspiciously.

"Traffic was bad," Sasuke said with a shrug of his shoulders as he walked to his seat with Hikari following behind him.

"So you get here midway through _second_ period?" Kakashi asked with a raised brow. He looked towards Hikari and she knew she was in for it. "We're going to have a talk about this later."

"Ohhhhh! Someone's in trouble!" Naruto yelled as he began to cackle.

Hikari snapped her head towards him, mustering a fierce glare.

"I will hurt you," she hissed hostilely. "Shut up Naruto or I will _never_ grace you with my presence at lunch again."

The hyperactive blond was immediately quiet, shutting his agape mouth slowly.

"That's what I thought."

As Hikari took her seat, she frowned; she didn't want Kakashi to be mad at her. She had told Daisuke and therefore he should have relayed the message to her guardian. Perhaps she should have texted Kakashi herself, or maybe he wasn't mad about her not returning home, maybe he was mad that she had the nerve to arrive late with Sasuke, obviously wearing clothing that did not belong to her. In all reality, she figured it probably looked pretty bad.

Hikari let out a sigh and then looked at Sasuke; he seemed completely unbothered by the whole ordeal. She bit her lip and looked around the room, becoming completely aware that many students had their eyes on her, boring into her, and all eyes were those of the girls in class.

"_Oh crap,_" she groaned as she closed her eyes and sunk in her chair. "And it begins."

…

As Hikari picked at the fries that were the remainder of her lunch, she found herself wondering exactly what was going on between her and Sasuke.

"_Is it a casual thing_?" she wondered as she dipped the potato into the ketchup on her plate and then stuck it in her mouth. "_Is he looking for something more? We only kissed like twice…and then we made out…on his bed._" A fiery blush heated her cheeks and she shyly looked towards Sasuke, only to see him smirking at her behaviour; it was like he _knew_ exactly what she was thinking about.

"Hikari Koizumi!"

The sharp feminine tone pierced her ears and made her cringe, she had no idea who yelled for her but she knew the voice was familiar and she also knew it sounded like she was in some kind of trouble.

"How dare you!"

She looked around, the table, worried that whoever was yelling from behind her was yelling about something personal. She, and the rest of the heads at the table, turned towards the source of the voice.

"How dare you leave me without saying goodbye? Do you know how _hard_ it was to track you down to this backwater town!?" The angry blond marched straight towards the inky haired girl she was yelling at and by this time most heads in the cafeteria were turned towards the source of the disruption, Hikari didn't care though; a smile broke out onto her face as she shot to her feet and ran towards her closest friend from home, wrapping her in a hug.

"Midoriko, what in the world are you doing here!?" she asked with excitement in her tone, but her eyes asked Midoriko her real question; 'why did my father send you here?'

"I got home and found you gone and your uncle living in your house," Midoriko said with a deep frown. "What the_ hell_ happened while I was away?"

"Uh…my dad died," Hikari said as she raised her brow.

"Do you know her, Hikari?" Sakura asked as she walked up to them.

Hikari looked towards the pink-haired girl and smiled brightly.

"Yes, this is my best friend and a distant cousin," Hikari said as she pointed towards the blond. "This is Midoriko Koizumi, and Midoriko this is Sakura Haruno."

On the inside, Hikari was a nervous wreck; if her father had sent someone to check on her that meant he knew she wasn't doing well. The fact that he had sent Midoriko unnerved her more, Midoriko was her best friend.

"Uh, here, come sit with us," Hikari said as she grabbed her friend and dragged her towards the table. "Naruto, move over."

Naruto nodded as he slid down the bench and made room for Midoriko to sit down at the table. The blond-haired girl sat down and then glanced around at all the faces of the table with her emerald green eyes.

"Uh, guys introduce yourself," Hikari said with a smile as she looked around the table.

As people began to say their names, Hikari's phone buzzed in her pocket. She took it out and read the text, feeling the hope drain out of her with all of the colour of her face too.

'_You're in trouble_.'


	42. Chapter Forty-Two

**Chapter Forty-Two:**

Hikari shoved Midoriko into the girl's bathroom when she was sure no one was watching. She followed her inside and then looked under all of the stalls before turning and twisting the lock on the door, making it so no one could enter.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here, Midoriko?" Hikari outraged in a whisper. "You're going to blow my fucking cover!"

"Your dear old dad sent me," Midoriko said as she looked at her nails. "He wants to know why you haven't gathered at least one good name. He even prematurely ended my job to make me come here; I was meant to be there another half-year."

Hikari sighed and then closed her eyes, trying to supress the headache she could feel forming at the top of her skull. She rubbed her temples and then began to pace.

"Come on, Hikari, I know you better than that. Do you think I can't see that you're in way over your head?" Midoriko asked as she gestured to all of Hikari with her hand. "You never pace like that unless you're all bent-out-of-shape about something bothering you."

Hikari bit her lip and then opened her eyes, looking into her friends jade-green ones.

"I have always been able to trust you," Hikari whispered as she crossed her arms.

"Yes, and you always will be able to," Midoriko encouraged with a smile.

"I," Hikari took in a deep breath and then tried to steady her heart that was slamming against her ribcage. "I like these people."

"Oh, not again, Hikari," Midoriko said with a sympathetic frown, "this is exactly what happened last time; you got way too attached and then ended up blowing the entire operation your father spent months working you into."

"It's different this time," Hikari said as she walked to the edge of the room and leaned against the heater.

"How is this any different?" Midoriko asked as she walked to her friend's side and leaned on the heater's vent as well.

"I have met people here, important people," Hikari said as she reached into her pocket. She withdrew her phone and then brought up a picture. "Do you see this man?"

"He's a bit old for you, hun," Midoriko said with a raised brow as she looked at the picture.

Hikari rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"No, you idiot, this is my uncle," Hikari said as she leaned her head against the glass of the window. "He's my mom's brother and discovered who I was through my music teacher who happens to be my adopted aunt."

"What?" Midoriko asked with disbelief as she took the phone and got a closer look at the photo. "Now that I really look at this, you guys look _a lot _alike."

"Why wouldn't my father mention that my mom was from Konoha?" Hikari asked as she brought the phone back to herself and then looked at Daisuke who smiled up at her with his usual charming grin.

"I don't know," Midoriko said as she tilted her head, letting her blond hair fall over her shoulder. "Maybe he didn't know?"

Hikari bitterly laughed and then shook her head as her jaw tensed.

"Oh, he knew alright, he _targeted_ her," Hikari hissed as her grip on her phone tightened. "That sick bastard has sent me here to victimise people and use them, just like he did to her. He wants me to gain their trust and then shatter it and ruin their lives."

Midoriko sighed and then put her hand on the other girl's shoulder.

"You haven't exactly ever objected to this life, Hikari," Midoriko said gently. "Why the sudden change?"

Hikari pushed herself off the heater and then frowned deeply.

"Because that sick bastard raped my mother!" Hikari almost yelled as she turned on her friend, tears threatening to build in her eyes. "He raped her, got her pregnant, and then forced her to leave with him! It was all so he could have her money and start this fucking organization!"

Midoriko's eyes widened a smidge, but then quickly reverted back to her usual calm expression, but Hikari knew her well enough that she had seen the flicker of surprise.

"He did all that?" Midoriko whispered with remorse. "Poor Shizuka…"

"Yeah, and now he's using me to go around this godforsaken city and rip people off," Hikari seethed, "I fucking hate it!"

"What are you going to do, Hikari?" Midoriko asked with a sigh as she looked at her friend. "You know whatever it is that I will back you up."

"I don't get it," Hikari said as she shook her head, crossed her arms, and then leaned against the frame of the stalls. "Why send you? You're my best friend…you're my partner in crime."

"We had that huge fight," Midoriko said with a shrug, "that's why I took the job. He probably figured that I was still out to get you."

"My father is not that dumb," Hikari said bitterly.

"No he isn't stupid, but he believed that to be the case because it was," Midoriko said as she walked to her friend. "I wanted to give you a good piece of my mind and the bit of karma that you deserved…I guess he thought I'd rat you out."

"Why aren't you then? You saw my friends, the people I'm protecting…" Hikari said as her eyes drifted to the door.

"Because you told me something that changed my mind," Midoriko said as her face hardened. "I hate any man who touches a woman without her consent."

"So what do we do?"

"Continue to give him small bait while we try to figure something out," Midoriko said with a sigh. "I guess I should probably enroll."

"How are we going to pull that off?" Hikari asked with a raised brow. "It's a bit weird."

"Well, I'm not the actress you are," Midoriko said with a disarming smile, "but I'm not exactly lying when I say that I am here to support my friend who just suffered a terrible loss."

Hikari smiled.

"Well, this should be interesting then…"

Hikari walked towards the door and then unlocked it, opening it to see a few girls making their way towards the door; she had just barely avoided being interrupted.

"So," Midoriko said as she followed Hikari out of the bathroom. "Got a boyfriend?"

"Uh…Is it bad if I say it's not really established?" Hikari asked as she looked at her friend with a cheesy grin.

"Nope, that's always when it's the most interesting," Midoriko said as she cracked her knuckles. "Now, show me the cute boys around here; I like them with dark hair and mysterious eyes."

Hikari rolled her eyes and then crossed her arms.

"Just stay away from Sora Hayate."

"Is he yours?" Midoriko asked with a mischievous grin.

"No, he only wishes he was."

…

"Come on, Kakashi," Hikari said with a frown as she looked up at him from their table with a frown. "I'm sorry; I really thought Daisuke would tell you."

Kakashi sighed and then ran his hand through his hair.

"Is this some kind of teenage girl thing, or is this just you?"

"Excuse me?" Hikari asked as she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

"One moment you're not speaking to Hayate and are friends with Uchiha, the next you're friends with Hayate again and you hate Uchiha, then all of a sudden you hate Hayate and you stay over Uchiha's house, not bothering to inform me, and then you show up to my class the next day wearing his clothes," Kakashi said as he pointed to the shirt she was wearing. "Is this some kind of faze or do you just enjoy being so bipolar?"

"Me?" Hikari asked with a bitter laugh. "It's not me who can't figure out who I should be friends with! You see, I am a forgiving person by nature and those two guys keep fucking with my head. I'm just trying to give them the benefit of a doubt when they keep pointing fingers at each other."

"Maybe you need to start hanging out with other friends, Hikari," Kakashi said with a sigh as he sunk down into the chair across from her. "If they're treating you like this, they're not right for you."

"But Sasuke was only doing it because he has some…issues," Hikari said as she bit at her lip. "I can't say what, but they're there."

"Maybe you shouldn't aim to fix what you didn't break," Kakashi said as he stared her directly in the eye.

"But Sasuke isn't the one who is being a complete dick!" Hikari nearly shouted. "Well, he can be, but that's beside the point. It's Sora! That back-stabbing fucker lied to me about Akemi! Blatantly lied to my face!"

"Look, Hikari," Kakashi said as he rested his elbows on the surface of the table. "I'm going to tell you something…teenaged boys are not worth your time, not the ones like Sora and Sasuke; they're only after sex."

Hikari groaned.

"I have received this lecture before," Hikari uttered as she stood. "I those two aren't perfect, but Sasuke and I are starting to get on good terms again; like real good terms, where we're actually friends."

Kakashi shook his head and leaned back.

"Am I in trouble?"

"I'll let you off with a warning," he said as he looked up at her.

"Good," she said with a cheery smile. "We're going to have company for dinner."


	43. Chapter Forty-Three

**Chapter Forty-Three:**

"It's very nice to meet you," Midoriko said with a cheery smile as she shook Kakashi's hand firmly.

"So you knew Hikari before she moved here?" Kakashi asked as he looked at her with a raised brow.

"Yeah, we're actually cousins," Midoriko said with an eager nod. "We grew up together."

"What brings you to Konoha?" Kakashi asked nonchalantly as he slid his hands into his pockets.

"I heard Hikari wasn't doing well," Midoriko asked as she wrapped her arm around her friends shoulder. "I wanted to come and help her through it."

"And your family just up-and-let you move here?"

"I've been living on my own for a few years now," Midoriko said with a shrug. "Problems with the folks; Hikari was there for me a lot through that, so I feel like I should be here for her."

"Kakashi," Hikari scolded as she smiled. "Stop going all 'detective' on my friend, she's harmless, I promise."

"I have already got a place to crash," Midoriko said with a friendly smile. "I won't mooch off you."

"Are you going to be attending the high school?" he asked.

"That's the plan," Midoriko said with an enthusiastic nod.

"Well, I look forward to seeing you in class," Kakashi said with his signature smile.

"Come on," Hikari said with a smile, "let's go to the park; it's really nice at this time of year."

"Okay," Midoriko said as she waved at Kakashi and then headed towards the door and shrugged on her jacket.

…

"So, tell me about this 'kind-of' boyfriend of yours," Midoriko said as she stretched and walked beside her friend.

"Uh…" Hikari said as she tilted her head. "Well, he's kind of a bit…"

"He's ugly isn't he?" Midoriko asked as she rested her elbow in her palm and then brought her index finger to her cheek. "Was he at lunch today?"

"He's not ugly," Hikari said defensively, "he's pretty nice to look at actually."

"I was going to say that I would be surprised if you dated at all, forget below your standards," Midoriko said as she shrugged. "Why'd you get into a mess with this guy anyways? You knew that you weren't exactly here to stay."

Hikari watched her breath puff out in clouds as the cold nipped as her nose, ears and cheeks. She pulled her black brimmed-beanie down a little further to cover her ears more.

"I didn't exactly go looking for this," Hikari said awkwardly as she twiddled the bare of her digits that were not covered by her fingerless gloves. "We kind of hated each other at first. It took us a long time to warm up."

"Oh," Midoriko said with a chuckle, "so you two were like five-year-olds on a playground tugging on each other's hair as a sign of affection?"

"No," Hikari snapped with a light glare. "We just clash a lot…he's got an ego and I am opinionated."

"Explain…"

"Well," Hikari said as she kicked some of the snow on the path with her booted foot, "he's kind of a jerk to be honest."

"I bet he's a bad boy," Midoriko said as she crossed her arms, "you've always had a thing for bad boys."

"He's not all that bad," Hikari defended with a frown. "He's got a charm to him under all the inflation…he's a musician too, plays guitar."

"Good with his fingers?" Midoriko asked as she smirked.

Hikari growled and then pushed her.

"Don't be so perverted!"

"I'm just teasing," Midoriko said as she pushed Hikari back. "But it's no surprise for me that you went after some guy who plays an instrument and is hard on the exterior…sounds like your type." Hikari rolled her eyes and then huffed. "So who is he?"

"He's no one," Hikari said as she crossed her arms and averted her eyes away from her friend; where her eyes landed made her want to roll her eyes. "_Why is it that I cannot come to this blasted park without him being here already!? Does he __**really**__ hate his house that much_?"

However, despite being afraid of her friend descending upon him and demanding him to commit to her, Hikari couldn't help but smile when she saw Sasuke Uchiha walking like he always did with his hands shoved in his jacket pockets. Hikari recognised the leather coat as the one he had lent her and felt a blush heat her cheeks when her mind betrayed her by thinking about his kiss.

Hikari looked towards her friend shyly and then wanted to face-palm when she saw the purely wicked grin on Midoriko's face.

"Don't you dare," Hikari hissed under her breath.

"I might dare," Midoriko responded with an air of superiority she was in firm control of; she knew she had Hikari under her control.

"Please don't," Hikari groaned with a frown. "He's unpredictable."

It was then that Sasuke looked up from the ground and noticed them.

"Koizumi," he said as he walked up to her. "We should practice tomorrow."

"Practice for what?" Midoriko asked in a suggestive tone, only to receive an elbow to the ribs that made her cough. "Ouch…"

Sasuke didn't even regard Midoriko as he looked Hikari in the eye.

"I don't think I am busy," Hikari said with a shrug as she looked through her lashes at him, "but Kakashi was not happy about this morning."

A smirk crossed Sasuke's lips that made Hikari blush wildly.

"Let him think what he wants," Sasuke said as he dug his hands deeper in his pockets. "It's not like he's your father, just tell him you're going out."

Hikari sighed and kicked the snow with her boot again.

"I wish that was the case; he gave me a lecture for at least a half an hour today about choosing my friends wisely," Hikari huffed as she crossed her arms, "and contacting him when I decide to stay over someone's house."

"You stayed over this clown's house?" Midoriko asked with widened eyes. "You naughty girl." With her words not only did Midoriko earn a jab to the ribs from Hikari again, but also a heated glare from the Uchiha she had so carelessly insulted.

"Shut up," Hikari hissed with narrowed eyes.

"Well no wonder he's worried," Midoriko said as she crossed her arms. "I mean, when you said he was a bad boy, you didn't say he looked like some kind of punk-delinquent."

Hikari groaned again.

"You were the one who said he was a bad boy, I corrected you stupid," Hikari said with a roll of her eyes. "God, you're such an idiot sometimes."

Hikari turned back to Sasuke, her cheeks on fire from her friend's ridicule.

"I mean, Hikari_ look_ at his hair," Midoriko said as she pointed to the fluffy raven colour locks that stuck off his head, "if that isn't an indication that he's the kind of guy dads don't want their little girls with, I don't know what is."

"Well my dad never gave a fuck, did he?" Hikari hissed as she turned on her friend. "It's great to see you but I am about two seconds from knowing you on your ass."

Midoriko raised her hands in defeat, but as her friend turned back to her romantic interest, she gave Sasuke the 'I'm watching you' hand gesture. He rolled his eyes in response and then paid attention to the girl in front of him.

"Okay, so tomorrow then," Hikari said with a small smile. "Your place, right?"

"Unless you don't want to go there," he said with a shrug. "I don't care."

"Okay, well you never come to my place, so you come to me," Hikari said as shy smile.

"Whatever," he said as he walked past her and continued to go. "By the way, your friend is the female version of Dobe…I finally get why you let him drag you everywhere…"

Hikari turned to Midoriko and then frowned.

"My god, you're right…"

* * *

Happy Holidays to my readers! :D


	44. Chapter Forty-Four

**Chapter Forty-Four:**

Hikari and Sasuke had only grown closer through their non-stop practice for the assembly that had been moved to the first of January due to scheduling errors. She really liked the way their piece was starting to sound and she was also enjoying how sweet Sasuke could be when he wanted to. However, it was Midoriko's persistent pestering that made her feel uneasy; whenever the blond felt she had the chance, she brought up how Hikari and Sasuke were 'kind-of' dating and how he was never going to commit to a relationship. The thing that made Hikari feel so bad was the fact that a part of her thought her friend was probably right; her relationship with the Uchiha was just a fling.

"_Why do I care if it's just a fling_?" she asked herself as she crossed her arms and looked out her bedroom window; the landscape was covered in fluffy-looking sparkling-white snow. "_Even if I do decide not to go back, it's incredibly unlikely that Sasuke and I will be together for a long time; this is just a high school romance, they never last._"

Hikari sighed and leaned on her windowsill as her aubergine eyes scanned the city-streets with a bored curiosity in them. A part of her really liked being around Sasuke, when she thought about it, she was pretty sure he was the one of the only people she really felt comfortable around. Even if he was an egotistical jerk, she liked his company.

"_Even if he insults me as much as he kisses me_…" Hikari thought with the makings of a smile tugging at her lips. "_I like his sarcasm though…it's entertaining_."

Hikari broke from her trance when her phone rang. She furrowed her brow and then picked it up, smiling as she greeted the person on the other line.

"Hey!" Midoriko said in a cheery tone. "Have you done all your holiday shopping?"

"No," Hikari said with a sigh as she absentmindedly twirled a lock of her hair. "Still have one more to buy for."

"Let me guess," her friend's voice hummed. "Mr. Hot-but-Grouchy?"

"If by that you mean Sasuke, then yes," Hikari said with a roll of her eyes.

"The rudeness really is a complete turn-off," Midoriko said with a sigh, "but then again, you're pretty bad too. You guys look so cute together though!"

"Stop gushing, it makes me want to vomit," Hikari said as she balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder. She looked at her nails and then out the window. "What do you want, anyways?"

"Well I still have a couple of people to buy for, so I was wondering if you wanted to shop," Midoriko sang.

"Who could you possibly be buying for?" Hikari asked with a raised brow. "You don't know anyone here…you've been here for a couple of weeks and we're still on break. You haven't even gone to school yet."

"Well I want to get something for my roommate," she said thoughtfully. "And something for your boy-toy; we don't know each other well, but I have teased him a lot and I think I should apologise."

"Well, my 'boy-toy' might not accept it, but we'll see," Hikari said with a sigh. "You're coming to that Christmas party right? I don't think Sasuke's coming with me, so I need a date."

"Sure," Midoriko said; Hikari could hear the smile. "He won't even go with you to a party? Is he that afraid of letting others know?"

"It's not that," Hikari explained, "it's just Ino and Sakura always bother him. I can understand why he doesn't want to go."

"Yet that Kiba guy is just waiting for a chance to grab your ass," Midoriko said with a huff. "If he doesn't protect his property, he won't have it long."

"I am no one's property," Hikari hissed with a frown.

"You know what I meant!" Midoriko squeaked. "Please don't kill me, okay? I didn't mean it. I am at your house. Come on, we're going to the mall. Christmas is in a couple of days."

Hikari walked out of her room and into the kitchen.

"I'll be out in a second," she said before hanging up and then pulling on her boots.

"I'm going shopping with Midoriko."

Kakashi nodded as he looked down at her.

"Asami and her brother are coming here for Christmas," Kakashi told her as he hung up another decoration.

"Is that why you're making this house so festive?" Hikari asked as she looked around and admired the décor.

"Impressions count," Kakashi said with a shrug.

"Hmm, trying to get on my dear old uncle's side, are we?" Hikari asked with a grin. "Well I will only speak highly of you if Midoriko can come too."

Kakashi nodded as he stepped down off the ladder and then walked towards her.

"I like that girl, she seems to be cheering you up," Kakashi said with a smile as he put his hand on Hikari's shoulder.

Hikari smiled back.

"She has a way of getting under your skin," Hikari chuckled. "Okay…uh, can I invite one more person over?"

"Who?"

"…Sasuke?" Hikari asked as if she had just dropped a bomb in front of them.

"Doesn't he have his own house?" Kakashi asked with a raised brow as he headed into the kitchen.

"Well yeah," Hikari said as she twiddled her fingers, "but he and Itachi don't get along. I don't think he's had a real holiday in a long time…"

Kakashi stopped what he was doing and then looked at the ceiling.

"Okay…" he said quietly. Hikari's face broke out into a grin. "But Hikari?"

"Yeah?" she asked as she looked towards him.

"Don't get your hopes up…he might just want to be alone," Kakashi said as he crossed his arms.

"I know," Hikari said as she shrugged. "I think he won't come, but then again, Sasuke's got a way of surprising me." Hikari turned and pulled on her jacket, gloves, scarf, and hat. "Thanks, Kakashi!"

"No problem," he said as he waved. "Have a good time."

…

"So, what are you going to get that punk?" Midoriko asked as she handed Hikari one of the two hot chocolates that she had bought.

Hikari smiled as she took it.

"Don't call him a punk," she warned playfully. "I like that punk."

"Well, regardless of what I call him, you still need to get him a gift," Midoriko said as she blew on hers.

"I know it is cliché, but I don't know what to get him…I hoped to come here and something would just pop-out."

"Yeah that is pretty cliché, but that doesn't mean it's bad or hopeless," Midoriko said with a shrug. "Let's look around."

"Yeah," Hikari said as she looked at her friend with a smile.

"Anything in particular that you've noticed about him or his room?" Midoriko asked as her eyes shifted from shop to shop.

"Well…he's pretty tidy," Hikari said as she thought back to all the times she had been in the room; even though it was always spotless, which she found weird for a boy, his room was always interesting. He had a lot of things, they were just neatly organised. "He's got a PS3…and a pretty nice wardrobe."

"I thought you said he was poor?" Midoriko asked skeptically.

"Well I am not sure if he is or not," Hikari admitted, "I think I have been convincing myself he's on the lower-class side of things because I don't want to have to do anything…but the more time I spend with him, the more I realise he just doesn't frivolously spend."

"So, he has some money, but only spends it every once in a while?" Midoriko asked as she thought about her sentence. "Sounds reasonable."

"That, or he's the best clearance shopper I know," Hikari said with a laugh.

"Okay, so you could get him some games, some clothes, or…?"

"Maybe something to do with his guitar," Hikari said as she let out a sigh, "but I don't want him thinking I'm trying to buy his affection. Men don't usually like when the woman dotes on them…"

"Good point," Midoriko said with a nod. "We don't know how he feels about your money. Well, in that case, I say clothes. You can never really tell how much something costs…especially if it's something that one would think is cheaper."

"How about a nice scarf," Hikari said as a grin spread across her face. "He likes scarves."

"That's almost perfect," Midoriko said as she smiled too, "you could spend as much as you want and he'd never really know! But…would a jacket to go with the scarf be too much?"

Hikari bit her lip.

"I don't know…but I like the sound of that."

Hikari smiled as she bounced a little before taking a long sip of her drink.

"Excited?" Midoriko asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I've never really bought for someone like him before and if I can get him to come…well that would be amazing," Hikari said as she giggled. "I haven't had a real Christmas in a long time, so I want him to have one too. Even if I'm not his family and he doesn't like social events, I think he'd probably like someone to be with for the holidays. He probably gets really lonely and thinks about his parents."

"I know I do," Midoriko said with a sigh. "Thanks for inviting me, by the way," she said with a soft smile. "It's going to be fun."

"Yeah…now just to get Sasuke to come…"

"You're going to need a lot of luck."

…

Hikari waved to Midoriko as she watched her drive away before walking up the drive of the Uchiha's home and knocking on their door. It took a few minutes, but she stayed rooted to her spot because she heard someone walking towards the door. It swung open and Sasuke looked at her a little surprised.

"Hikari?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Uh, hi…sorry to drop by without calling," she said with a nervous smile. "Can I come in?"

Sasuke stepped back and opened the door wider, allowing her to walk inside his home; before she entered, she kicked the snow off her boots at the entryway. Once inside she shivered as she took off her shoes, gloves, and hat.

"What's in the bag?" he asked as he looked down at the large brown-paper bag she was clutching.

"It depends," Hikari said with a frown as she walked past him and up to his room.

He followed her, watching as her hips swayed as she led him to his room. She turned to him with a smile once she sat down on his bed and then patted the seat next to her. Sasuke sat down and then leaned in to kiss her jaw. She smiled to herself and bit her lip before turning to him and pecking him quickly.

"I have a question," she said as her eyes found him and she batted her eyelashes.

"What?" he asked curtly.

"Are you busy on Christmas?"

"Hikari, I don't celebrate," he said as he crossed his arms, "and I am not going to that party with you."

Hikari dropped her eyes from his and then nodded.

"Alright then," she said as she stood up and brushed herself off, "that's what I came to ask. I wanted to invite you to dinner at my place. You don't have to worry about the party, I'm going with Midoriko."

Hikari walked towards the door as she brushed her hair over her shoulder.

"You're leaving?"

"You don't want to come and that's what I came for," Hikari said as turned towards him.

"And what about your bag," he said gesturing to what was on the bed.

"Those are your gifts from me," Hikari said with a kind smile. "I was going to have you open them at my house if you came, but since you're not, I will just leave them here."

Sasuke looked from the bag and then to her before he stood and then walked towards her. He wrapped his arm around her and then pulled her into a hug, kissing her head.

"Thanks for inviting me," he whispered as he leaned down and kissed her, "but I don't exactly do Christmas."

Hikari pouted, but instead of giving into her demands, he leant forwards and pushed her up against his bedroom door. She sucked oxygen into her airway and then held it, staring right into his eyes before he leant down and kissed her neck. She bit her lip as she raised shaky hands to his hair and sighed. He kissed his way up her neck and then lightly nipped at the lobe of her ear, making her gasp; she wasn't sure he could smirk any wider.

"Hey," she said with a frown, "don't think this is going to make me any less angry about your rejection."

Sasuke looked into her eyes, his own reflecting mischief; it was something she was utterly unused to, but something she liked. He bent down and kissed her nose, making her blush.

"Do you still want to leave?"

"I guess I can stay a little longer…"

Sorry for the late Holidays chapters...I kind of fell behind, but better late then never.


	45. Chapter Forty-Five

**Chapter Forty-Five:**

"So is that grouchy boy coming?" Midoriko asked as she walked into Hikari's kitchen many days later.

"No," Hikari said with a sigh. "He made it pretty clear he doesn't want to."

"I don't know," Midoriko said as she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "You think if he hated the holiday because he had no one to celebrate it with, he wouldn't want to be alone and dwell on it."

Hikari shrugged and then continued to peel the potatoes in her hands.

"I just think he needs time," Hikari said as she frowned, "maybe one day he will celebrate with me. I'm not going to force the Scrooge."

Midoriko smiled at her friend.

"I think you've changed, Hikari," she said as she leant on the counter. "I remember a time where you didn't care about other people…when your ascension to the boss was all that mattered."

Hikari smiled faintly as she concentrated on her task.

"Lately I find myself becoming repulsed by the idea of it…" Hikari said quietly. "I think if I am going to do anything it will be a _hostile_ takeover, but then again, maybe I can just get a normal job and live a normal life."

"Yes, Hikari the gas-pumper," Midoriko said in a teasing tone.

"Oh, shut up!" Hikari demanded with a small glare. "I might lose my riches, but I find myself asking why I want them in the first place; it is dirty money, money that was obtained by hurting my mother and my family…not to mention other people. I don't think I ever clearly connected that in my brain before, but I see a clear path now and it makes me feel sick."

Midoriko nodded.

"I know what you mean…I think it didn't shape into context for me fully until you told me about Shizuka…it was like a shock to my system," Midoriko said as she crossed her arms. "I never cared before because I would never have to see the people I hurt again, but knowing that I was always hurting Shizuka without even being aware of it is what makes me feel sick."

"I think I want to be a cellist," Hikari said honestly, "in a nice orchestra."

Midoriko smiled and grasped her friend's shoulder firmly.

"I think that'd suit you just fine," Midoriko said confidentially. "If you're still looking for a job, there is a classical instruments shop downtown that is looking for classically trained people to teach children. You should apply."

"You think I'm good enough for that?" Hikari asked with a raised brow. "That's a job for someone a bit…older."

"Age doesn't equal talent," Midoriko said with a shrug. "Just look into it, okay? What does it hurt to try?"

"You're right," Hikari said with a nod. "My father might pull my funding the moment he senses something's up…a job's a good idea."

"You should transfer all your remaining funds to an account he can't track," Midoriko said seriously. "I have one that you can use if you want, it's empty."

"I'll take you up on that, but I will wait for a while…I don't want him to freak out when he sees all the money gone with no warning…"

"I wouldn't wait too long," Midoriko said.

Midoriko reached into her pocket when her phone suddenly began to bellow its ringtone.

"Hello?" she said playfully as she brought it to her ear.

"Look, if Hikari is in the room with you, I need you to step away," a voice whispered into the receiver.

"Who is this?" Midoriko demanded as she furrowed her brow.

"My name is Sora Hayate…please, I need to tell you something important. She doesn't trust me anymore. Please."

Midoriko suddenly grinned.

"Oh, hey Kai!" she said cheerfully. "I didn't recognise your voice. You shouldn't say things like that right away~" She brought the phone away from her ear and then covered the receiver, "I have to take this," she said to Hikari, who only nodded, before Midoriko left the room and walked outside. Midoriko shivered and frowned. "What do you want and how did you get this number?"

"I looked through Hikari's contacts once and she had your name changed to her sister and I copied it down because I was worried about something like this happening…I thought that she had been hiding something, but when you showed up I realised you were her best friend," Sora said hastily. "Look, I don't have much time, but I have to urge you to keep her away from Uchiha."

"Look, mister," Midoriko hissed, "she told me about you. Do you honestly think I am stupid? That I can't catch onto what you're up to?"

"Uchiha set me up!" Sora said loudly. "He was working with Akemi to break Hikari and me apart. That night of the talent show Akemi locked me in the men's washroom so I would miss Hikari's performance and then let me out only to push me into the hall and practically molest me so Hikari would see!"

Midoriko rolled her eyes.

"Nice try," she said as she folded her arms.

"I'm serious!" Sora said with frustration evident in his tone. "Uchiha even led her there so that she would see!"

"Look, I don't know what game you think you're playing but I am not going to ruin the first real Christmas she has had in a long time so that you can have a little victory moment," Midoriko said in a dangerously low tone. "If you EVER call this number again, I will rid you of your most valuable assets, do you understand me?"

Midoriko huffed angrily as she hung up and swiftly turned, only to see Sasuke staring at her from the walkway.

"Angry?" he asked as he approached her.

"Just a bill collector," Midoriko said as she took a deep breath to calm herself.

"One calling for someone else," he said with a raised brow, "and by what you said, one calling for Hikari."

"Look, I dealt with the problem," Midoriko said as she shook her head and crossed her arms. "It was just that Sora guy trying to get me to talk to Hikari for him."

Sasuke scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Desperate."

"What are you doing here, Mr. Grinch?" Midoriko said as she raised her brow and blocked his access to the door. "I thought you weren't coming."

"I came because she asked me to, now move," he said coolly.

Midoriko frowned and then crossed her arms.

"Look, I want to make something clear," she said as she hit his chest with her pointing finger. "I am not as forgiving as Hikari; the poor girl can barely keep her head on straight with the way you two have been yanking her around. However, I am not like that. If you _ever_ so much as put a _toe_ out of line while I am around, I will come after you. Do you get me?"

Sasuke snorted and pushed her hand away from his chest.

"As if I'd be afraid of some scrawny girl," he said as he looked down on her.

"I mean it," she warned, "do not cross me. I am not as nice as my cousin; I will tear your apart."

"Hn."

Midoriko huffed as she stepped aside then then shook her head.

"Boys…"

…

Hikari had just finished chopping the potatoes and put them in a pot to boil when she almost had a heart-attack because someone thought that it was a good idea to snake their arms around her waist and hold her from behind.

"Midoriko Koizumi, if you think that's funny I am going to fucking skin you alive. I could have burned myself!" Hikari hissed.

"I'm over here," Midoriko said as she pointed to herself.

Hikari looked her way and then frowned as she turned all the way around to face the person still holding her. She beamed as spiky locks of raven hair came into her vision and, without thinking, wrapped her arms around his neck and held him so tightly she thought she might snap it.

"Sasuke!" she said enthusiastically. "You came!"

"I wasn't going to," he whispered as he looked down into her eyes, "but I had nothing better to do."

Hikari shook her head but could not hide her smile. She knew he was only saying that to brush off the fact that he came of his own will.

"Merry Christmas," she said cheerfully as she stood on her tip toes and then pecked his cheek. "You're early though."

"I wanted to spend some time with you," he said as he looked towards Midoriko, "alone."

…

Hikari smiled as she set her camera down on her desk; she had not expected Sasuke to show up at her house, and she hadn't expected such a nice dinner. Laughing, stories, and warmth had filled the room and she was sure she would never forget the feeling that had settled in her gut; she felt like she was a part of a real family.

"_I wonder if Sasuke had a good time_?" she asked herself as she sat down in her chair and began to swing back and forth in it, using her feet to steer her direction. It was something she did often when she was thinking. "_And if he liked his gift?_"

Hikari sighed, but then came to a stop when she saw a small box place on her nightstand that had not been there before. She raised her brow and then smiled, realising that it must have been from Sasuke. She stood and then picked up the box, opening it after a moment of hesitation. It was simplistic, but she liked it. The chain was silver-coloured and on it hung a small purple amethyst. Under the necklace she saw a small and folded piece of paper. She plucked the paper from the box before setting it down and then unfolding it to read.

'_Thanks for the scarf and jacket_.'

She smiled, knowing it was unlike Sasuke to put anything more on a note.

"Hell, it's unlike him to give me a gift," she said to herself as she shook her head.

Hikari closed the box and then set the necklace on the table.

"We're practicing tomorrow…I'll thank him then."


	46. Chapter Forty-Six

**Chapter Forty-Six:**

"Good morning, class," Asami said as she walked into the music-room with a frown upon her face.

Hikari could tell that her adopted-aunt was incredibly frustrated, she could even see the tension in the woman's shoulders. She wasn't sure if anyone else would see it, after all, where she came from stress was something very natural; it was something that really never left a person. For Hikari, it was easily recognisable.

"What's the matter?" Hikari spoke up with a raised brow.

"What?" Asami asked as she looked up at Hikari. "Oh…well, it turns out that three days before our New Year's concert, half of the class has decided that they're too sick to leave their homes."

"They're buying time," Sasuke said curtly as he crossed his arms. "Just fail them."

"Believe me," Asami grumbled as she began to take attendance. "I would if I could, but most of them had their parents drop off doctor's notes. I am legally not allowed to hold it against them."

"So, is this project ever going to happen?" Sora asked from his drum kit. "This is the second time the deadline has been changed."

"I talked it over with Ms. Tsunade and she asked me to move the dead-line to March," Asami said sourly. "That is beyond generous and what those kids deserve, so I am not doing that."

Hikari smirked, knowing that Asami could be quite stubborn when she wanted to be.

"I am going to cancel the public concert. You are going to preform your pieces during class over the next month. I have a sign-up sheet here, so have at it."

Asami set the paper down and Hikari was up on her feet in seconds, getting in the line behind three others. When it was finally her turn, she saw that they had all chosen the longest amounts of time possible. She took the spot that was fourth from last; exactly a three weeks away. She returned to her seat after that, much more relaxed now that she knew she had a little bit more time for polishing.

"What's our date?" Sasuke asked her with dull and uninterested eyes.

"We have three weeks," she responded as she tilted her head towards him.

"Hey, Asami is distracted," he mentioned as he pointed towards her.

"So?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Let's ditch," he said as he stood and walked towards the door.

She blinked as she watched it close behind him before looking back at Asami and biting her lip. Hikari knew if she took off, Asami would be greatly offended and would have Kakashi lecture her, but she also knew that Sasuke was just inviting her to ditch class and probably offering to do something more entertaining with him. Hikari groaned as she shot up, grabbed her bag and ran to the door, being as silent as possible in her booted-heels as she opened the entryway and slipped out.

"You gave me absolutely no warning," she said as she planted her hands on her hips and followed him out the door of the school. She shivered when the cold air hit her and then rubbed her hoodie-clad arms, trying to gain some extra warmth. "It's freezing…where are you taking me, Uchiha?"

He shrugged as he continued to walk towards his car.

"I don't care what we do…I just don't want to stay in there."

"There is no one in my place," she said as she looked away from him with heated cheeks. She jerked her thumb towards the building and then looked at him again. "Kakashi's at work."

"Alright, let's go Koizumi," he said with a smirk as he opened the driver's side door and sat down.

Hikari bit her lip as she opened the door to her side and sat down, her mind instantly panicking about bringing Sasuke into her house, alone. There was no Itachi to interrupt anything that may go down this time; she had to play it cool. She couldn't let Sasuke know she was afraid. It didn't help that he took off at speeds that her mother would turn over in her grave about. Her hands were clutching her legs, fingers digging into her jeans. Hikari tried her best to keep her breathing even, but she was starting to think he was trying to scare her.

"Hey," she said nervously as she looked at him. "How long are you going to stay for?"

"Trying to get rid of me already?" he asked with a quirked brow.

"I am just thinking you might want to park down the street if you're just going to sneak out," Hikari muttered as she turned her head and looked out the window. "The last thing I want is Kakashi finding you at my house when he is not home."

"He won't even know I am there," Sasuke said with a certain playful note to his voice.

"Yeah, sure."

…

"Again," Hikari demanded with a frown. "You're not fingering it right."

"Shut up, I'm doing it better than you would," he hissed back as his eyes narrowed.

"Well, it has to be done right," Hikari said with a huff. "You're supposed to be the guitarist here, play your music right!"

"It would be easier if you were focused on playing your instrument instead of harping on me," Sasuke retorted coolly.

"Okay," Hikari said as she stood up and put her cello on its stand. "We need a break, all we're doing is arguing."

Sasuke set his guitar down in its case and then stood from her bed, stretching. He walked towards her and grabbed her face, pulling her towards him and meeting her lips in a passionate kiss. Hikari closed her eyes and smiled, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him back as he walked her towards her bed.

"Alright, let's take a break."

…

"God damn it, Akemi!" Sora yelled as forcefully knocked over the vase his mother had on the table near his front doorway. If fell to the ground and shattered, making Akemi jump at the noise. She looked up into his eyes and swallowed her fear. "After what you did, you have the nerve show up at my house?"

Akemi frowned and maneuvered around him, ducking beneath his arm. She darted into his home, trying to get some space between them, as if it would help her avoid his low and menacing tone. She turned, facing him as her stance showed him how timid he was making her. Sora was completely unused to seeing Akemi this way, she was never scared, but he was not about to allow her mind games to deter him.

"I didn't say you could come in!"

"I came here to talk," she said meekly. "Please hear me out, Sora."

"Look, Akemi, I am done," Sora seethed as he turned to her. "Get out of my house, _now_."

"I only did what I did to you at the talent show because Hikari was planning on letting her uncle beat the shit out of you!" Akemi squeaked as Sora advanced towards her.

"You're lying!" Sora hissed.

"No! She was going to lead you out after the show ended and let him kick your ass!" Akemi insisted a desperate tone as she backed herself against the wall of his living-room. He cornered her there, making her feel small and like a mouse. "Please believe me!"

"If she was going to have her uncle bust me up, she wouldn't have cared about seeing us," Sora yelled as he punched the wall next to her head. "You're lying!"

"No, seeing us shocked her," Akemi said as she began to shake. "She didn't think we were together until then."

"Hikari and Uchiha are together now!" Sora yelled as he tightened his fists into balls.

"I'm sorry, Sora! I didn't mean for it to turn out that way!"

With her words and her pleading eyes something came over him and before he knew it, he had slapped her across the cheek, his hand leaving her skin splotched and with a sting. Her eyes widened as she lifted her hand to her cheek. She quivered as tears began to build in her lacklustre eyes.

"It doesn't matter what you were doing or how you were trying to help! It's over now; you fucked absolutely everything up, Akemi!"

"I'm sorry, Sora," she muttered.

"What is going on in here?" Hoshi asked loudly as he rushed into the living room. His eyes went wide when he saw the large red-mark on Akemi's cheek and his brother lowering his hand.

Silence filled the room and none of the three people wanted to start the conversation that would follow. Tears streamed down Akemi's cheek, Sora was still seething, and Hoshi was shocked. He had no idea that his brother had it in him to hit a woman.

"Sora…" his brother said lowly. It was Hoshi's voice that shocked Sora out of his anger and made him truly look Akemi in the eye.

"I…" Sora said as he looked at his hand and then looked at Akemi, who sunk to her knees and began to hysterically sob as she bent over on the ground.

Before Sora could register what to say or do, Hoshi shoved him out of the way, making him fall to his rear as his brother knelt in front of the girl whose cheek was already bruising. Hoshi put his hand on her shoulder and tried to calm her down, running his fingers through her hair and making a shushing noise.

"You're going to be alright," he told her quietly as he helped her to her feet. "Here, come with me. We will clean you up a bit."

Sora watched, his stomach sinking and causing him the feel nauseous, as his brother walked the sobbing girl from his living room. Without giving it much thought, stood up and turned as put on his boots and jacket, leaving the house before his brother could come back and interrogate him. Sora honestly did not know how to answer the first question his brother would ask, he didn't know why he was so fucked up.

**Chapter End Notes:** Gosh, I just love to make Sora a bully. The next few chapters are going to be intense. :D So, with all my heart I ask you all to review this story! The feedback is really inspirational and makes me want to keep going so that I may get through this writer's block I have been suffering with since the summer. I also ask you all to visit my deviant art and check out my stuff, especially for my graphic novel Shinka. Thank you!


	47. Chapter Forty-Seven

******Chapter Forty-Seven:**

"What happened?" Hoshi asked Akemi as he wiped at her cheek, where a small cut had formed from the rings Sora wore.

She looked distant in the eyes, like she was looking through him. He didn't like the look in her eyes, she looked as if she was shutting down. Hoshi sighed as he knelt in front of her, coming a little lower than eye level with her sitting form.

"Look, I can't help you if you won't tell me what happened," Hoshi said softly as he grabbed her hand and squeezed.

"You know what happened, he hit me," Akemi said quietly. "What more is there to tell?"

"How did it happen?" Hoshi inquired. "It would be nice to know that."

Akemi averted her eyes from his and looked into the bath tub. A sigh left her parted lips as he pulled the cloth, he had been dapping at her cut with, away from her face. He put some kind of antiseptic on the wound and then looked into her eyes again.

"It happened how it happens any other time someone does this to me, I say or do something they don't like," Akemi said dully.

"You mean he has done this before?" Hoshi asked, appalled.

"No, my father," Akemi said bitterly. "He's a drunken bastard."

Hoshi's expression fell to a frown.

"Now I can see why Sora's actions had you scared out of your wits like that," Hoshi said with pity in his tone that made Akemi want to throw up; she hated pity.

"Look, it's really not all that terrible," she said with a shrug. "So, what? I get knocked around a bit every now and then. It's nothing I can't handle."

"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself of that," Hoshi said with a raised brow as he stood and then sat on the edge of the tub.

"You don't even know me," Akemi hissed as she looked towards him with narrowed eyes. "When I used to be friends with Sora, you used to hate me and say I was a bad influence on him."

"You were," Hoshi said truthfully. "But he's beyond your control now; he's terrible all on his own."

"Look, you don't know anything about me," she said as she abruptly stood to her feet. "You just think you know me because you believe what you have judged me to be like is right."

"I can guess a lot more than you think," Hoshi said as he looked up at her. "You care about my brother more than he cares about you. You have absolutely no interest in Uchiha and really want Sora to pick you over Hikari, but you know that is never going to happen so you scheme and plan to make him have to choose you."

Akemi snarled at Hoshi as she turned on heel and walked out of the bathroom, planning to leave the house. Hoshi sighed as he stood and walked behind her, watching her slam the door as she briskly walked away from him. He stood to his full height as he began to clean up the supplies he had used to clean her up.

"Sora, what have you done?"

…

Sora sighed as he walked into his favourite coffee shop. He ran his hand through his hair, letting out a stressed sigh as he looked around the room. His eyes fell onto a blond who sat by herself, reading a book and sipping on something in a large mug. He knew she was the girl who had moved to Konoha after Hikari, and that she was her closest friend from back home. He didn't know what made them, but his feet carried him to her table and he was asking if he could sit with her before he really registered what was happening.

Midoriko looked up at him from her book with a frown. He could tell she was judging him with her emerald coloured eyes as she looked him over. She pursed her lips and then sighed as she waved her hand towards the opposite side of the booth she sat in. "Fine," she replied as she flagged down the waiter. "Can I get another Chai please?"

"Yes, ma'am," the waiter said with a smile. "And for you sir?"

"A black coffee please," he asked as he took off his coat. When the waiter walked away he turned to Midoriko and tried to smile. "You drink the same thing as Hikari."

"What do you want?" She was straight to the point and her tone was unforgiving. "Don't think I have forgotten about you calling me."

"I am not really here for anything…I just saw you and thought I might sit here," he said quietly. "I have had a bad day."

"Oh yeah?" she asked with a quirked brow. "Do I look like a shrink?"

"Do you feel like one?" he challenged.

Midoriko felt herself smile, but she stopped it before it could really take form. Something about the way he dodged her question reminded her of herself in an odd sense. He knew what to say to her remarks like he _knew_ her well. However, this didn't mean she liked him or wanted to sit through his oral recollection of his terrible day, but she wasn't a completely cold person either.

"Talk then…but I can't promise I will be sympathetic," she said as she flicked her eyes away from his, huffing like he was an irritating fly buzzing around her ears.

"Have you ever done something that you immediately regret and have no idea how to approach the issue or reconcile it?" Sora asked as he crossed his arms.

"Yes, I have some experience," she said as she closed her book and looked him in the eye. "Does this have something to do with Hikari?"

"No…this girl named Akemi," Sora said with a sigh. "I did something really bad…I feel like a monster."

"The skank you've been nailing?" Midoriko asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah," Sora said as he looked out the window. "I kind of…hurt her."

Midoriko studied his face and then bit her lip, trying to figure out what to say to him next; she wasn't even sure what he meant by 'hurt'. It could have been anything: emotionally, physically, mentally, or spiritually, but all she knew is that she had a feeling she was going to like him less after this confession, and she already had little to no respect for him at the moment. Not to mention that Midoriko wasn't exactly an expert on fixing issues and licking wounds, she hadn't been raised in the best of places. She didn't know could she say to someone like him that wouldn't seem extreme.

"I think you should start with saying you're sorry," Midoriko said with a shrug, "but I might be able to help a little bit more if I knew the whole story."

Sora frowned as he stuffed his hands in his sweater pockets. "Well," he said as he searched for the right words. "We got into an argument because she did something horrible to me."

"What did she do?"

"When I finally got Hikari to talk to me again, she locked me in a bathroom at the talent show and then set me up so that I looked like I skipped out on Hikari's performance to fool around with her before she went on stage and then after. She practically assaulted me so Hikari would see," Sora said as his voice laced with bitterness. "I get so angry whenever I think about it. Hikari will never trust me again and now she is with that douchebag, Uchiha."

"Well," Midoriko said as she crossed her arms. "That douchebag has treated her better than you have from what I have heard. Let's just stop talking about Hikari…tell me what happened today with Akemi so I can help you with that and then go back to reading my book," Midoriko said with a loud sigh as she rested her face on her hand.

"Akemi showed up at my house and I was so angry that I hit her…I didn't even realise what was happening until my brother came in," Sora said he ran his hands through his hair. "I can believe I hit her. The look in her eyes, it was so horrible."

"No, let's actually go back to talking about Uchiha and Hikari. I am pretty sure that jackass treats women better than you do from what I have heard, at least he doesn't lay his hand on a woman just because she pissed him off," Midoriko said icily as her face hardened to stone. Everything about her posture was completely unforgiving. "Also, I want you to think about this…have you ever considered that maybe Hikari doesn't want you? You may have chased off the only girl who'd be willing to suck on your tiny dick."

"Hikari didn't mention you had a mouth worse than hers," Sora said with a frown as he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well, I don't have to be nice to you, do I?" Midoriko hissed as she abruptly stood to her feet. "Look, I have never liked the look of you. Take this from a woman whose been sexual and physically abused by assholes like you, stay the fuck away from Hikari or I will put a bullet through your skull."

"Look, I feel terrible about what happened with Akemi," Sora said as he swallowed nervously.

"I hope you feel terrible," Midoriko hissed as she crossed her arms. "The first thing to make this right that you need to do is apologise to her, and then you need to make it up to her. Stop treating her like trash, for starts, and start treating her more like a human being."

Sora sighed and nodded.

"And the next thing you can do is forget about Hikari, because that threat was not empty."


	48. Chapter Forty-Eight

**Chapter Forty-Eight:**

"Where did the money go!?"

Akemi stood frozen in front of her father like a doe caught in head-lights. She was afraid and her mind couldn't process if she should run or stay completely still.

"I…I don't have a clue," she stammered as she tried to swallow some of her fear; she almost choked on it instead.

"There is absolutely no way that you don't know where seven-thousand dollars of my saving money went!" he bellowed as he backhanded her across the face. "You were using it to get high again, weren't you!?"

The slap brought her to reality and suddenly she was shaking, no longer frozen and even more terrified than she had been before. She bit her lip as flashbacks of Sora hitting her that very morning flashed before her eyes. Her father hit her again, smashing his fist into her ribs with an agonizing punch.

"I didn't do it, dad," she screamed as she stumbled backwards, holding her check with one hand and her side with the other. "I don't even know your banking information anymore, I swear it wasn't me! I know I stole before, but I am not like that anymore. It wasn't me, I _swear_."

"Then who the fuck was it?" he said with another yell as his face turned red from anger. He walked towards her, everything about him screaming tension and malice. "Was is your mother who is living comfortably with her new husband? Or maybe your sister who is three thousand miles away actually doing something with her life?"

Spit flew out from between his teeth with every other word screamed from his lips. He was raising his voice so much that a vein was popping out in on his neck and forehead. His hands shook as he tightened his fists, Akemi had never been so afraid of him before; this was a completely new level of anger. She was sure he was going to really put her in the hospital despite all the times he had threatened it before and never gotten to that point.

"I don't know," Akemi pleaded as she cowered and her eyes began to water. He shoved her this time, knocking her back into the hutch that stood tall in her kitchen. The glass broke on the door from the force of the impact and a piece of it stuck into her shoulder as it fell, making her cry out in pain. She bit her lip and reached for the glass, yanking it out with a breathless gasp as she cut her fingers and then threw it to the ground. Akemi's words rasped with a groan as she looked towards him meekly, "It wasn't me, I _swear_."

"I know you're shooting-up," he snarled as he grabbed her hair, forcibly yanking her towards him and away from the cabinet. The tears burst from her eyes and began to fall down her cheeks in cascades. "Stop crying! You have five fucking days to get me my money or you're going to wish you were never born!" Her father looked around at the glass on the floor, some of it covered in his daughter's blood. He shoved her towards the hutch before he turned to leave, making her fall in the shards of glass; some of the pieced jammed into her knees from the force of the impact, making her cry out again. "Clean this shit up."

…

"Okay, you have brought me to some burger-joint for dinner," Hikari said with a soft smile as she looked around the restaurant with curious eyes; it was kind of quirky and targeted towards teenaged and older customers. While the set up was a new and trendy way to do an old look, the music they played was nothing but classic rock. Hikari approved. "So, is this place any good?"

Sasuke shrugged as he looked over the menu.

"You've never been here?" Hikari asked with a raised brow.

"I have, but I am pretty indifferent to most foods," he said as he glanced for her.

"Except tomatoes," Hikari said as her lips picked up into another smile, "you like tomatoes."

"You noticed?"

"You bring them to school for lunch all the time," she said with a quirked brow. "It'd take a blind person not to notice."

"So, I like them, do you have a problem with that?" he asked as he held eye-contact.

"Of course not, do you always have a problem with people teasing you a little?" Hikari asked with a challenging smirk on her lips.

"Why challenge me when you already know I've won?" he retorted, with a similar smirk on his lips.

"Because I like playing with fire sometimes," she said seriously as she leaned towards him. They were completely silent, just starting at each other intensely until Hikari burst out laughing. "God, we sound so cheesy. Let's just order a burger and eat!"

"That's what I am here for," a male waiter in his early thirties said with a smile upon hearing Hikari's words.

"Oh, hey," she said as she blushed a little, embarrassed that he had heard what she had said. "I'd like a white bun with a beef patty. On the burger I'd like lettuce, tomatoes, caramelized-onions, ketchup and mayo. Also, can I get an iced-tea?"

"Sure thing little lady," he said with a friendly smile, "and for the boyfriend?"

"A beef patty on a wheat bun with tomatoes on it," Sasuke said as he handed the waiter his menu, "and a water."

"Got it," the waiter said as he took the menu from Sasuke and then picked up Hikari's. "I'll be back with those drinks in a moment."

"So…" Hikari teased when the waiter was gone. "You're my boyfriend now?"

"Is that what you want?" he asked as he looked her in the eyes. Hikari didn't know if he was trying to trick her into admitted that she wanted him to commit to her, or if he was being genuine. She never really could tell his intentions in situations like this because he was always so serious. She bit her lip and then nodded shyly, dropping her eyes to the table. Again, silence fell around them and Hikari began to dread his response. She had a feeling that he may have been testing her and she had just failed. "Fine."

"Really?" Hikari asked with widened eyes as she looked up at him, her heart jumping and making butterflies flutter in her stomach. She was overwhelmed by the excitement she felt because she knew somewhere deep down, Sasuke had done something along the way to really make her like him. She hadn't just been playing around with the idea of dating him for real with everyone knowing, she had been depending on it. Now that she was going to push her father out of the way and make a new life, her first boyfriend would seal the deal; it was something huge for her, something exciting.

"Well, I don't want you running off because you think I am one of those jerks who are afraid of commitment," Sasuke said with a roll of his eyes.

Hikari's lips stretched into the smile that Sasuke secretly liked, the one that showed her dimples as it slowly spread from her lips and lit up her entire face. Her cheeks would dust pink and she would always turn her head to hide her embarrassment. It was her real smile, something he knew she wasn't trying to do to get him to like her.

Sasuke had been trying to deny it for months, but in the half a year he had known Hikari, he had slowly come to like her more as he spent time with her. Eventually, he realised he was interested in her in a way that he was unfamiliar with; it was different than his previous girlfriends. Spending time with Hikari wasn't tedious, it was natural.

"So…am I your first girlfriend?" she asked slyly.

"Of course not," he said as he looked at her with a smirk. "I have an entire fan-club."

"Have you every dated one of them?" Hikari asked with widened eyes and her mouth open slightly agape. "I didn't really see you as that type."

"No, they're all idiots," he said as he shook his head. "I have had one serious relationship."

"With who?" Hikari asked curiously.

"That's my business," he said with a shrug. "Don't girls usually hate hearing about ex's?"

"Usually, but I am curious," Hikari said with a small laugh. "Tell me!"

"Hinata."

"Like shy-girl Hinata?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Like…Hyuuga shy-girl Hinata?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Like Hinata who wants Naruto?"

Sasuke let out an irritated sigh and crossed his arms.

"H-How?" Hikari asked with widened eyes. "I thought she was incapable of such social interactions."

"I don't know," Sasuke said as he shook his head. "We dated for about half a year but then things got too complicated with her family…they're kind of crazy about who she dates and who she doesn't, I didn't want all that drama. Besides, it just wasn't going anywhere."

"So," Hikari said as she crossed her arms, "she wouldn't bang you?"

"That was not an issue..."

Hikari's eyes widened again.

"I had better stop while I am ahead…" Hikari said quietly. "I really don't want to know how many girls you've tangled with."

"I told you to drop it," Sasuke reminded her as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"So…where are we off to after this?" Hikari asked as she smiled at the waiter when he set their drinks on the table. She took hers and sipped on it.

"Have you ever played pool?" Sasuke asked her as he leaned closer to her.

"Can't say that I have," Hikari admitted as she thought about her experience with the game. She had always thought of it that something people did at bars full of cigarette smoke, and that wasn't exactly here scene.

"Well then, I am going to teach you."


	49. Chapter Forty-Nine

_**Chapter Forty-Nine:**_

Hoshi drummed his fingers on the desk in his room, staring at the glossy framed picture of himself and Tenten. He never would forget the feeling he got when he looked into her smiling eyes. Looking back on it, he still couldn't believe that a girl like her said yes to him. Even though girls fawned over his looks, the people who actually knew him often told Hoshi he was boring and that was also something he heard was unattractive. He shook his head and then reached into his pocket for his phone, she didn't seem to think he was boring. He sent Tenten a quick text, reminding her how beautiful he thought she was.

With a smile upon his lips, he stood and then walked out of his room with a yawn. As he passed his bathroom, he stopped in his tracks, looking into the room. The cloth he had used to clean up Akemi's face was still in the sink, small amounts of blood dried into the fabric. Hoshi let out a sigh as he grabbed the cloth and then brought it to the laundry bin, dumping it onto the top of the clothes that were piled inside. Hoshi stared at the cloth for a moment.

"I should check on her," he said as he walked towards his door and retrieved his jacket from the hanger. "She was in pretty bad shape when she left…not to mention, she might decide to report what Sora did."

Hoshi frowned as he shook his head, grabbing the family car's keys. He hated that he sometimes felt like it was his responsibility to clean up his brother's messes. He just wished his brother wasn't so stupid sometimes.

"Mom, I am going to visit a friend," Hoshi called as he turned towards the study he knew she was reading in. In a few moments his mother appeared in the hallway, carrying his four-year old sister.

"Are you going to be home for supper?" she asked as she walked to him.

"I'm not sure," Hoshi said as he shrugged. "She had a really rough day today and I was going to go see how she's doing. She might talk for a while, I will text you."

"Alright," she said with a nod. "Say bye to your brother, Hanako."

His little sister reached out for him, her soft black curls bouncing with the excitement she showed. Hoshi lifted her up, kissing her cheek and making her giggle. He brought her to him and hugged her, patting her head.

"Bye, Hoshi," she said as she kissed his cheek.

He smiled softly at her and gave her one last kiss before he passed her back to his mother.

"Bye Hanako, be good for mom," he said as he turned and opened the door.

Hoshi walked to the silver car and got in the driver's seat, waving to his sister who blew him a kiss from the doorway before starting the car and leaving.

…

Hikari followed Sasuke through a door, passing the person who checked ID's as people came in without even showing a card. Hikari quirked a brow as she looked up at Sasuke, only to see him smirk down at her. She chewed on her lip and settled with believing he had connections with the owners.

Loud music was playing in the huge room, popular music that Hikari didn't care much for over large speakers. To the right, at least twenty pool tables rested, where couples and friends laughed as they played. On the left, the bar sat with tables set up around it. Sasuke walked up to the bar, leaned over the counter, and then tapped on the tender's shoulder. Hikari's eyes widened when she watched Itachi turn and greet his brother with a small smile. She walked up to them and raised her brow.

"You work here?" she asked as she sat down in front of Sasuke's brother.

"Yeah, my friend owns the place," Itachi said as he looked around.

"That's cool," Hikari repeated as she looked around the room again. "Huh…this place looks pretty trendy."

Itachi chuckled.

"Yeah, my friend wants to attract the young adults to this place," he said as he looked around. "Makes a lot of money doing it too."

"Itachi give me a rum and coke. Give Hikari whatever she wants," Sasuke said as he put fifteen dollars on the bar. Itachi sighed heavily as he mixed the drink for Sasuke and then slid it down the bar. He turned to Hikari with a soft smile.

"And what would you like?"

"Oh…" she said nervously, feeling put on the spot. She shook out of it and smiled. "Well, you don't seem like you want to serve us, but if it's okay with you, can I have a cosmopolitan?"

"Sure thing," he said with a nod. Her drink took him longer to make than Sasuke's, and she could tell he was being light-handed on the alcohol.

"Thanks," she said when he handed it to her.

"Itachi, can we have some pool balls?" Sasuke asked as he turned to him.

"Yeah, hold on," Itachi said as he turned and then grabbed the balls for Sasuke. "I need your ID though." Sasuke nodded and handed him the card and then took the pool balls. "Corner table?"

"Yeah," Sasuke said with a nod. "Give me number eighteen."

Hikari sipped on her drink and followed behind Sasuke, sipping on the alcohol she wasn't legally supposed to be drinking.

"Who owns the place?" Hikari asked as he grabbed some sticks and led her through the crowded area. "The only reason they let us in here is because Itachi is the bartender and his friend owns the bar."

"It's actually a distant cousin," Sasuke said as he stopped in front of the table that had a large eighteen on top of the overhanging light. "His name is Shisui."

"Ah, so well then, this all suddenly makes sense," Hikari said with a smirk. "So, teach me then."

"Where going to play eight-ball," Sasuke said as he held up the black ball, "but because you're new, I am not going to make you call your shots. You don't know the angles of the table or anything like that."

"So, what's the objective?" Hikari asked as she took the pool stick he handed her.

"The table is open until someone sinks solids or stripes," Sasuke said as he crossed his arms. "Whatever ball you are, you try to clear the table of all of them, but avoid the eight ball until all of them are cleared. Once every other of the kind of gone, you can try to sink the eight ball. Whoever does it first wins."

"I feel like this has been simplified for me," Hikari said with a raised brow.

"Very much so," he said with a chuckle.

"Alright, so who goes first?" Hikari asked him as she watched him walk to the table and rack the balls.

"Usually people play this small game to do it, but I will break first just to show you what to do," Sasuke said as lifted the triangular shaped plastic piece to rack the balls with. He hung it off a nail on the side of the table and then walked around to the opposite side of the table.

Sasuke bent over the table and Hikari paid less attention to what he was doing and more to his body stretching out as he aimed. She frowned as she looked down at her own shirt and realised how low-cut it was. She wasn't planning on playing pool, but she knew that Sasuke was most likely going to get a nice peek. She rolled her eyes and looked up just in time to see him pocket a solid as he broke.

"You're stripes," he said as he walked towards her. "Now you have to hit the stripes with the cue-ball, the white one with no number or anything on it. You want to pocket as many stripes as possible. However, if you scrap your turn is over. Don't pocket the eight ball too early or you lose."

"Alright," Hikari said as she eyed the cue-ball and the other ones close to it. "Come show me which one I want to hit and how to do it."

"Pool is all about aim and knowing where to send the ball," Sasuke said as he came around and stood next to her. "Do you see the twelve-ball?"

"Yeah," Hikari said as she eyed it. "I get it, I can pocket it if I hit the white one right."

Hikari bent over and positioned the stick, eyeing where to aim it. Before she knew it, Sasuke was leaning over her, helping her position her hands and use the proper amount of force for her shot. She could feel his breathe on her neck and his body pressed against hers. She blushed when she realised that she didn't want him to give her space, she liked the feeling of his arms engulfing her and the closeness. Her mine was shaken from its trance when without much effort; he helped her pocket the ball. Hikari smiled widely as she looked over her shoulder. Sasuke stood to his full height and then she followed suit, turning towards him.

"Well," she said as she leant up onto her tip toes and then pecked his lips. "If you keep helping me like that, this is going to be fun."

…

As Hoshi turned the corner of the street Akemi lived on, he saw her dad pull out of the driveway and leave the house, making just enough room for Hoshi's car. Hoshi pulled in and then turned off the engine before getting out and walking towards the door. He knocked lightly, but heard no answer, not even foot-steps that told him that someone might be in the house. He turned and looked back towards the driveway, trying to remember if Akemi had been in the car with her father, he didn't think so.

"Akemi?" he asked as he knocked once more; again, there was no answer.

Hoshi stood there, feeling awkward as he tried to listen for any signs of life in the house. He sighed and then reached for the door handle, finding that it opened without any problems. He peeked his head inside the door, looking into the first room and not seeing anything.

"Akemi?" he asked softly.

Hoshi still did not see anyone, or hear anything. He walked further into the house and then closed the door. Everything was so silent that when he finally did hear the muffled crying, it was as clear as a bell in his ears. Hoshi followed the sound and found himself in a kitchen; when he gazed around the room, he saw Akemi sitting on the floor with her back against a hutch with a broken door. She was curled into a ball, her head, knees, joining all in one place.

"Akemi," he said in a worried tone as he rushed towards her, his shoes crushing glass that was spread across the floor. When he looked down at it, he saw some of it was smeared with blood. Hoshi frowned when he gazed at Akemi again and saw that her white sweater was stained with crimson in several places. From the darkness and the way it soaked, he knew it was her blood. He only didn't want to think about how she got wounds like that. "You need a hospital."

"No," she said as she looked up at him, a fire burning underneath the layer of tears in her eyes. "No hospitals."

Hoshi pressed his lips into a firm line, reached down and gently grabbing her hand, deciding to take the soothing approach. He helped her up, letting her lean into him as she held her side. She cried out when she turned awkwardly, while attempting to stand on her own, as a searing pain ran up her ribs.

"Come with me," he said as he tried to walk her out of the kitchen. "You're not staying here."

"He's going to kill me," she cried as she yanked her arm away from him, only to let out another cry of pain and lean against the wall for support.

"What?" Hoshi asked as he came closer to her again. "Why would he do something like that? Who is he?"

Akemi looked up into his eyes, but then spit at his feet.

"Get out of my house!" she yelled as she turned away from him. "You don't even like me! I don't want your pity!"

Hoshi grabbed her and she began to fight against him, but his grip was strong.

"I'm not leaving you here," Hoshi said sternly. "I don't care if I like you or not; you cannot stay here, especially if what you said is true."

"Well then tell me where I can go," she said with a bitter laugh. "To your house to play family with Sora? A shelter? Or maybe out on the street?" she hissed. "This is all I have left."

"I don't care about Sora or any of that," Hoshi said as he pointed to the kitchen. "I care about what happened in here and how you're in danger. Sora can shove it for all I care. Now come on, my car is out front, get inside it."

"I can't leave!" Akemi shouted. "I somehow have to come up with seven thousand dollars or my father is going to kill me!"

"Seven thousand dollars?"

"It went missing and he thinks I stole it," Akemi said as she broke down into tears again. "He's g-going to kill me."

"He won't touch you," Hoshi said firmly as he gently grabbed her arm again.

"I can't go," Akemi insisted weakly, trying her hardest to resist him without further injuring herself. "I need that money! That's paying for my sister's tuition! She will get kicked out of university and I will be dead!"

"We will get you the money," Hoshi said in a reassuring tone as he grabbed her hand.

Akemi looked into his eyes intently, trying to see an ulterior motive for his actions. Hoshi hated her, why would he help her? What did he have to gain by it?

"You would do that?" she asked him suspiciously.

"Yes," Hoshi said as if she was brainless. "Regardless of if I like you or think that you deserve it, what kind of guy would I be if I stood around knowing this was happening but did not offer to help?" Hoshi left the question at that and then turned towards the exit of the house. "Now I have no idea where your dad went or when he will be back, but we need to go before that happens. I know where I can get the money, so come on."

Akemi bit her lip. She looked between the kitchen and Hoshi, but she knew which she had already chosen already. Despite the fact that she didn't fully trust him, she doubted he could do something worse to her than her father could. She followed him out the house and got into his car without much protest, only wanting to walk on her own to appear dignified to her neighbours.

"Don't worry, I am going to help you," Hoshi said as he looked at her from the driver's side. Akemi turned away, looking out the window as she crossed her arms and refused to reply to that statment.

"Just get me out of here."


	50. Chapter Fifty

**Chapter Fifty:**

Hikari smiled shyly as Sasuke held her hands in his. They stood outside of her front-door after they had returned from their date. His onyx-coloured eyes bored into her violet ones, searching before he leant in and softly kissed her cheek. She blushed, her cheeks turning the colour of pink hydrangeas as he pulled away; she bashfully looked through her lashes, biting her lip while she watched a smirk spread onto his lips.

"I want a real kiss," she whispered, her voice smooth despite the butterflies that she felt fluttering inside of her stomach, their wings tickling her nerves.

Sasuke obliged, lifting his hand to hold her chin as he planted his lips on hers in a soft and inviting kiss. Her eyes closed and she lifted her hands to his neck, pressing herself against him as she leant onto her tip-toes. He backed her against the door, kissing her more passionately as she responded to him and she dug her fingers in his hair. Sasuke reached forwards, opening her door as they both stumbled into the house.

"Kakashi's not home," she said nervously, breaking from their kiss. "At Asami's, I think."

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked as his eyes bored into hers. His hands were firm on her body, one on her arm and the other on her waist; she wanted to feel them everywhere else too, the smooth skin of his palms and fingers caressing all of the sensitive patches of skin he had never touched before. Hikari shivered just at the mere thought.

"No," she whispered as she kissed him again. With his help, she shrugged out of her cardigan and then threw it on her couch. Her hands were around his head again as he began to trail kisses down her jaw and neckline.

"Then show me to your room," he responded huskily as he began to push against her body, making her walk him towards her chambers. As they neared the door, she reached out behind her body until she touched the doorknob, turning the handle as Sasuke continued to bite her neck gently, making a moan escape her lips.

When she had the door open, he pushed her gently inside before his fingers quickly found the bottom of her shirt and looped around it. He pulled it over her head swiftly, throwing the scarlet coloured baby-doll to the ground. Underneath he was still blocked by a thin black-coloured tank top and he growled upon the sight.

"Why do you wear so much clothing?" he asked as he eyed it with malice.

Hikari blushed as he grabbed it and lifted it over her head, leaving her standing in her jeans, a pair of tall black boots, and her lacy purple bra.

"Too keep boys like you away," she said quietly as her cheeks heated to a higher degree.

Self-consciousness showed in her eyes as she shied away from him, but he didn't give her much time to think about it when he shrugged his coat off and then pulled his t-shirt over his head. Hikari felt like she was ready to drool when she looked at his slightly toned chest, the lines of the muscles just barely showing. She felt herself bite her lip again, but she couldn't kiss him because he pushed her down on her bed before he turned and shut the door.

Hikari was not sure her cheeks could turn any redder when he returned and grabbed her foot, but somehow they did as he unzipped her boot and then took it off along with her sock. Hikari had always been shy about her feet, but she had to ignore it when he was already taking off the other boot and sock, leaving her in her jeans. Sasuke eyed the denim hostilely and then looked up to her eyes.

"If you're wearing anything but panties under those, I will rip it off of you," he said with a growl from somewhere deep inside his throat as he kicked his own shoes and socks off. Sasuke climbed on top of her, a hunger showing deep in his eyes.

Hikari bit her lip, continuing to blush as confidence washed over her. She smirked at him as she leaned up and bit at his earlobe lightly, making him shudder. She could feel every muscle that pressed against her skin tense on his body.

"Why don't you check then?" She knew the answer to her challenge by the excitement that flickered in his eyes.

Sasuke's fingers tickled the skin of her abdomen as he unbuttoned her pants, yanking them down her body in a way that made it seem like he had done this a thousand times.

"Purple," she said with amusement as his eyes flicked between her underwear and bra, "you match."

Hikari didn't even have time to blush again because his lips were trailing up her stomach and towards her throat before the blood could reach her cheeks. Soon, he pressed his lips against hers, his hands supporting himself on either side of her head as they rested on the bed. Hikari frowned at how much control he had, but she knew she wasn't strong enough to turn the tables and flip him onto his back; she figured she would just have to bid her time and wait. Sasuke kissed her lips again, her jaw, and then went to her neck, biting and sucking at the skin. Hikari moaned lightly, enjoying the sensation and wondering what it would feel like on other places.

"It's not fair," she whined lightly. "You still have pants on."

Sasuke looked her in the eyes, reflecting the same challenge she had given to him minutes before.

"Well, come and take them from me then."

…

"How am I going to get this money?" Akemi asked herself as her hands tightened to fists. Hoshi stood in front of her, cleaning the wounds, she had arrived in his house with the previous night, once again. He had quickly found out that Akemi was not shy with her body; she would take off her shirt right in front of him, leaving herself in her push-up bra and jeans. Hoshi was only ever a gentleman, so he always turned away, but he could only do that for so long until he had to clean the cuts.

"I have an idea," he said as he concentrated on her back, dabbing hydrogen-peroxide on the wound and then putting antiseptic cream on it. He put a large bandage over the wound and then looked away as she put her shirt back on.

"Yeah?" she asked with a roll of her eyes. "You had better give me that idea soon because I need to get him the money by _tomorrow_."

"Come on," he said with a sigh as he led her out of his bathroom.

When the two walked into his living room, he saw Sora walking through the front door; he had tried to avoid running into him while Akemi was here. Hoshi did not want any unnecessary confrontation if he could help it. He grabbed onto Akemi's arm, attempting to gently remove her from the situation.

"Akemi," Sora said as his eyes widened. They drew right to her face where her left eye was nothing but black and swollen. "God…I'm so sorry."

"Don't flatter yourself," she hissed as she glared his way. "You didn't do this to me; you're not enough of a man."

Sora's eyes widened with her crassness, but then they narrowed in anger.

"Why you little-"

"Sora," Hoshi said sternly. "Do not start this right now…"

Sora frowned as he brushed passed them, walking straight to his room.

"I hope your mommy knows that you nail whores in there!" Akemi yelled after him. "After all, you bastard, isn't that all I ever was to you?"

Sora's door slammed shut with enough force to send a quiver through the wall it was attached to.

"Akemi," Hoshi said just as sternly as he did to his brother. "Stop…he feels bad about this, don't wreck whatever humanity he sees in you right now."

"Humanity?" she hissed. "Since when _wasn't_ I human?"

"Akemi, you are not blameless in what happened between each other and you know it. Now, let's just go, okay?" Hoshi asked as he sighed and then grabbed his coat and keys.

"Where?" she asked as she put on her shoes.

"To a friend who will help you," he said as he walked out of the house and to the car.

"This person must be a saint if they're going to help me," she muttered as she got into the passenger's seat.

"Just stop feeling so bad for yourself," Hoshi said as he looked towards her with a frustrated sigh. "You're not as hateable as you think. Look, think about this from my point of view, I am about to beg one of my best friends for an outrageous amount of money and skip spending time with my girlfriend on my Sunday to help you. All I ask in return is that you lose the attitude."

Akemi groaned.

"Fine."

…

"I guess we are very lucky Kakashi did not come home," Hikari said as she rolled off of Sasuke and sunk into her mattress, enjoying its softness beneath her.

"Yeah, there is no way we would have been able to continue with how loud you were," Sasuke said with a smirk as he put his hands beneath his head.

Hikari felt like her cheeks were on fire, but despite the crimson colour she knew her cheeks were showing, she lightly smacked his bare chest.

"Cut it out, stop teasing me," she said with a frown. "You're going to make it so I never want to take my clothes off in front of you again."

"Trust me," Sasuke said as he rolled and then leaned over her. "I won't let that happen."

His kiss was chaste and quick because the doorbell rang before the two of them could get into more trouble.

"It's two in the afternoon…maybe Kakashi's home late and forgot his keys?" Hikari said nervously. She shrieked to herself when she realised that Sasuke was in her bed, naked, and Kakashi might be at the door.

"Just ignore it, if it was him, he'd be more persistent than that," Sasuke said as he looked over his shoulder. After a moment of not hearing anything, he turned back to her, leaning down to get another kiss. The doorbell rang again, this time more urgently, being pressed several times in a row.

"I'd call that persistent…"

Hikari pushed Sasuke off of her, and then stood, feeling shy about being naked. She rushed to her door and then grabbed her robe off of the hook on the back of it. The robe may have only reached her knees, but it would have to work, she didn't want to take too long to let him in. She grabbed her underwear and slid them on before she rushed to the window.

"It's Hoshi," Hikari said with confusion. She brushed down her hair with her fingers as she walked to the door and opened it with a raised brow.

"Oh…uh, did you just wake up?" Hoshi asked.

"Long night," Hikari said as she looked at him.

"Oh, hell no," someone from behind him said. "You cannot expect me to-"

"Get in the house, now," Hoshi said firmly. "This is your only choice."

"Hoshi, why did you bring this bitch to my house?" Hikari asked hostilely. "This is really not how I want to spend my afternoon."

"Trust me," Akemi said as she looked at Hikari with narrowed eyes. "No one would want to be around the princess of perfection."

Hikari turned to Akemi and got close to her face, the tension in her body loudly saying that she was just barely holding back her anger.

"You think just because you walk into my house battered, I will let the way you spoke about me slip by?" Hikari hissed.

"Whoa," Sasuke said as he rushed into the room, now wearing pants. "What the hell is going on?"

"Well, now we see why the whore had such a late night," Akemi said as crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "She dragged Uchiha into her bed."

Hikari looked at Akemi with an intense glare, but then turned to Sasuke.

"I don't know, Hoshi brought this slut here," Hikari said as crossed her arms.

"Bitch, you don't know what it's like to live the way I do," Akemi said as she spit every word with venom.

"You have no idea what my life had been like," Hikari said as her temper spiked again and she turned back towards the girl, her words lashing at Akemi.

"Oh, the life of a rich girl who lives in a mansion is _so_ hard," Akemi said sarcastically as she crossed her arms. "Boo-hoo."

"You think I haven't been beat up like you before?" Hikari asked icily. "Both of my parents are dead and I was left with an uncle who _hated_ me. Things got rough, trust me."

"Okay," Hoshi said as he stepped in between the two seething girls and separated them. "Akemi, you are in no position to talk to Hikari that way."

"But!-"

"No buts," Hoshi said firmly. "Apologise, now."

"But Hoshi!-"

"Now!"

"Fine," Akemi yelled with a frustrated sigh. She turned to Hikari with a snarl. "I do so humbly apologise to the image of _perfection_ in front of me."

"_Akemi_," Hoshi said as he turned towards the girl and held her shoulders firmly. "You are in a serious situation and you need her help, just fucking apologise, NOW!"

Hikari's eyes widened as she looked at Hoshi, she had _never_ once seen him loose his cool in front of anyone before. He was always very calm-natured, and she had definitely never heard him cuss like that. Akemi seemed just as shocked, but then she lowered her eyes to the floor, ashamed.

"Right," she said with a sigh. She looked up to Hikari eyes and then said, "I am sorry that I was rude. This is your house and I shouldn't have let my temper get to me."

"What the _fuck_ is going on here?" Hikari demanded as she looked between them. "Hoshi, just what do you want from me?"

"Hikari, I need to talk to you in private…" Hoshi said with a heavy sigh as he looked her in the eyes. "Please."

"If it will get her out of house sooner, so be it," Hikari said as she rolled her eyes.

Hikari led them to her room, trying to kick the discarded clothes on her floor out of the way. She blushed when Hoshi looked around at the clothes and then hopelessly tangled sheets of the bed. When Hoshi looked towards her with a raised brow, she looked away, her face like a tomato.

"I would have brought you in Kakashi's room, but I thought that'd be weird," she whispered to him, feeling like she could die of embarrassment. "But then again…this is pretty weird too."

"Never mind this," Hoshi said as he focused on Hikari again. "I need a really huge favour."

"How huge?" Hikari asked as she raised her eyebrow.

"Like seven thousand dollars huge," Hoshi said as his eyes flicked towards the living room.

"Seven thousand dollars?" Hikari asked as she tilted her head. "You have some kind of nerve to bring her here and then ask for money for her."

"Look, it's not like that," Hoshi promised as a look of pleading swelling in his eyes. "Someone stole money from her father's bank account and he beat her senseless, accusing her of doing it. She's got some bruised ribs, that horrible eye, a bustled lip, and a lot of puncture wounds from some glass all over her torso. The guy has literally threatened to kill her if she doesn't get the money back."

Hikari's eyes widened, but not because of the things Akemi's father did to her.

"_I gave my father her name!"_ Hikari thought with panic. "_He stole that money and then she received the beating for it…oh, this is…my fault."_ Hikari looked towards her door, knowing Akemi sat on her living room couch bruised and battered and that she had inadvertently caused it. She bit her lip and then looked down at the floor, guilt overriding everything she had ever felt about Akemi. "Yeah, I will give you the money."

"You will?" Hoshi asked, surprise showing on his face as his eyes brightened. "Because her sister won't be able to go back to university and this will only end up a lot worse for Akemi. She believed him when he said that he was going to kill her, Hikari, so this isn't the first time this has happened."

"Yeah, even if I don't like her," Hikari said as she walked towards her purse and pulled her chequebook from within, "I couldn't let a woman suffer like that."

"It's funny how a lot of her behavior starts to make sense," Hoshi said quietly as he watched Hikari write the cheque.

"Yeah," Hikari said with a nod as she finished the cheque off and then tore it from her book. "I made it in your name because I need you to take it to your account and then transfer it to her from there."

"Uh, okay," Hoshi said with a raised brow.

"Regardless of the fact that I have separated myself from him, my uncle looks at my accounts to see what I am doing with my money. Because I am still a minor, he can do that," Hikari said in an irritated tone. "He knows who I hang out with and who my friends are, I suspect, and I have had many public feuds against Akemi. I just don't want him suspicious." Hikari handed him the cheque and then smiled. "Call it me being a bit paranoid."

"Please do me a favour and don't tell anyone about what happened to Akemi," Hoshi said as he looked Hikari in the eyes. "She doesn't want anyone to know."

"Understandably, but Hoshi, what are you going to tell Tenten when she wants to know why you're hanging around the school slut?" Hikari asked as she folded her arms. "She does not like Akemi in the least; I think she may dislike her as much as I do."

"Unfortunately, it's not my place to talk about what happened to Akemi to anyone because she asked me not to," Hoshi said as he lowered his gaze. "If that means I have to hold my silence around everyone, including Tenten, I will."

"Your girlfriend should really come before anyone," Hikari said with a frown. "Tenten won't take that answer well."

"I know, but I would not be able to bear being the person to hurt that broken girl any more than she already has been," Hoshi said with a shrug. "If Tenten found out, she would tell her friends out of either anger or some other emotion and then Ino would spread the word around like a plague. Before long, the entire school would know and Akemi would not be able to show her face."

"I am just encouraging you to really think about this," Hikari said as she pulled her friend into a hug. "I think you're underestimating Tenten."

"I don't know, even if I am, it's still not my place to spread Akemi's secrets around," Hoshi said as Hikari pulled away from him. "I will have to just tell Tenten I was hanging out with her because Akemi is actually nice."

Hikari shook her head.

"Do what you think is right," she said with a shrug. "Just make sure you do everything in your power to keep Tenten because she is a really great girl."

Hoshi smiled when he thought of her.

"I know…she makes everything about life better," Hoshi said as his smile widened. "I couldn't lose her over something so stupid."

"Then don't," Hikari said with a nod.

"Anyways," Hoshi said as he held up the cheque. I promise this is just a loan. I will pay back every cent!"

"Don't kill yourself over it," Hikari said with a shrug. "Rich princess, remember?"

"I am sorry about what she said to you," Hoshi said with an apologetic glance. "Akemi never wanted Uchiha, she only wanted Sora and she did some awful things to put a divide between the two of you. She just wanted someone to love her and she was jealous of you…"

"Yeah, I get it," Hikari said as she began to walk towards her bedroom door.

"Hikari," Hoshi said as he rushed forwards and put his hand on her shoulder. She turned towards him with a raised brow and he took a look around the room and drew in a deep breath before he began to speak. "Akemi told me that sometimes Uchiha would help her do those awful things…I don't know if she was lying or not, but this is not the first time Sora has tried to tell me that Uchiha likes to screw with him."

"I have realised the implications already," Hikari said very quietly. "But right now, Hoshi, I'd prefer not to think about them."


	51. Chapter Fifty-One

**Chapter Fifty-One:**

"What did they want?" Sasuke asked as he crossed his arms and looked up at Hikari from her couch.

"Akemi needed some money, so I gave it to her."

"You did what?" Sasuke asked Hikari as he stood from his seat. Hikari frowned and walked to her window, making sure that Hoshi and Akemi were as far out of earshot as possible before she turned back to him.

"I gave her the money she needed," Hikari said with a shrug as she walked past Sasuke and to her couch, fixing the pillows and trying to tidy up the living-room before anyone else came to give her an unexpected visit.

"Why?" Sasuke demanded. "Hikari, she has done nothing but been a bitch to you ever since she met you, hell, she has even _attacked_ you before."

"It wasn't that much," Hikari said in a small voice as she passed him again and then entered her kitchen, putting dishes into the sink and starting to run water to wash them.

"Hikari, please stop trying to avoid me by cleaning your house," Sasuke said with an annoyed roll of his eyes. "How much did you give her?"

"Nothing I couldn't spare," Hikari responded as she bit her lip. "Just a small chunk of change…"

"Hikari," Sasuke said as he walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders, turning her to face him. He reached behind her and turned the sink-tap off and then looked in her eyes. "How much money did you give Akemi?"

Hikari felt utterly trapped, but held her tongue, afraid of what he might say. To her, it wasn't that big of a deal, but Sasuke was not handling her generosity well. She bit her lip again, as if to keep them from speaking.

"Hikari," Sasuke said again. "This is what I see; one of your friends came in here and manipulated you for your money. Instead of just asking himself, he brought Akemi with him who happened to be bruised and battered in order to sway your decision. For all we know, she probably tricked him into thinking something bad happened to her."

Hikari shook her head and turned away from him, leaning on her counter with her hands plated on the surface. She drew in a deep breath, trying to relieve the tension she was feeling but to no avail. Everything around her was making her second guess her decisions, good and bad.

"It was no trick, something did happen to her," Hikari said with a frown. "I told Hoshi that I wouldn't tell anyone…that includes you." "Then you can at least tell me how much money you were suckered out of," Sasuke said as he threw his hands up near his head, an expression to show his exasperation. "Hikari, how am I supposed to be in a relationship with you if you can't even trust me to know these kinds of things?"

"We have only been together for a day and you already use that card on me?" Hikari hissed out her question between her teeth as she let out a frustrated yell and then slammed her fists down onto the counter. "I gave the bitch seven-thousand dollars, are you happy?"

"May I ask why, for starters, Sasuke is standing in my kitchen wearing only pants, and you just a robe, and two, why you guys are arguing about giving someone seven-thousand dollars?"

Hikari's eyes widened and she turned to see not only Kakashi standing in the entryway of the kitchen with his arms folded, but also her uncle and Asami. Hikari groaned and closed her eyes, knowing that she was going to be in a lot of trouble.

"Ah…" Hikari said as she faltered for words.

Her uncle's eyes narrowed as he stalked towards Sasuke, pushing him against the refrigerator and holding him in place with a very firm grip on his shoulder. His eyes bored into the Sasuke's and his anger leaked from his posture to be known to the world. Hikari could see that he was trying to contain it because the hand that held Sasuke shook; seeing the rage so up front made Hikari as to what Daisuke might do to him.

"Do you know how long we have been looking for Hikari?" Daisuke questioned with venom leaking from every word. "She goes missing from school, nowhere to be found. Her car is left abandoned in the parking-lot. We check your house and then this house and neither of you are here. I have been out all night combing over every corner of this city for her!" Daisuke bellowed. "Do you honestly have to nerve to convince her to skip with you, go god knows where throughout the entire day, and then bring here and have sex with her?"

"Daisuke," Hikari said firmly as she walked towards him and attempted to yank his arm away. "Stop! I left school by choice!"

Daisuke turned and pushed Hikari backwards, making her stumble into the counter behind her.

"Don't lay a hand on her!" Sasuke snapped as he struggled in Daisuke's grip. His tone turned to threatening as he looked Daisuke dead in the eye. "Get off of me, now."

"Do not speak," Daisuke yelled as he slammed Sasuke's back against the fridge again.

Asami sighed and held her forehead. "Daisuke, this is not the time for this."

Daisuke ignored his sister and continued to threaten Sasuke. "You do not want to fuck with me right now."

"Daisuke, get off of him!" Hikari yelled as she stomped towards him and tried to yank his arm away again. "I am sorry I snuck out of school and spent the day with my boyfriend, but I am a big girl! I can make my own choices."

"Hikari, get away from me, right now," Daisuke said very seriously. "I am very angry!"

"I don't care," Hikari bellowed. "Get your hands off of him!"

Daisuke sighed and then shoved Sasuke away from the fridge and into the living room, making Sasuke stumble in order keep his balance.

"Get out of here, now, before I do something very bad to you," Daisuke said in a threatening tone. Daisuke turned to Hikari when Sasuke had left and narrowed his eyes. "You are so grounded."

"You're not my fucking father!" Hikari yelled as she used her arms to shove him. "You have some kind of nerve to walk into my house and start acting like you own the place! And then to grab Sasuke like that, like he had done something wrong? I have known you for a month! Get out of my fucking business, you prick!"

"You are my niece rather you like it or not, and do I have to remind you that your mother was raped!" Daisuke yelled as he stepped back towards her. "You go missing without a fucking trace and you think I am not going to have something to say about it? You may be seventeen, but you live under someone else's roof, and trust me when I say that you will not be going anywhere for a month!"

"Like hell I won't!" Hikari yelled back.

Asami sighed again and then stepped between them, separating them with her hands.

"Let's take it down a notch, okay?" Asami asked as she looked at them both seriously. "You two are too similar to be allowed to argue about this. Hikari, you deserve at the very least detention for leaving school without signing out with the purpose of just skipping with no excuse. Daisuke, Hikari is right, you are not her father and you have not known her very long, calm down and we can all talk about this like civilized human beings, got it?"

"But Asami-"

"Daisuke," Asami said sternly. "I said no."

Daisuke rolled his eyes and then crossed his arms stubbornly. "May I remind you that I am the older sibling?" he asked with a frown.

"Well, I am apparently the more mature one," Asami said as she shook her head. She turned to Hikari and then crossed her arms. "What your uncle was trying to say is that your sudden disappearance from class worried us all to death, especially him. He only yelled at you because he cares. At first we thought you just skipped with Sasuke, but then we couldn't find you at the houses and your car was left in the parking lot. Daisuke got worried you were snatched, Hikari." "I wasn't snatched," Hikari said as she threw her hands into the air, much like the way Sasuke had when he was pressing her for information; she kind of felt sorry for being so difficult now that she was the one in that position of frustration. "I left with Sasuke, then we came here. After a while we left again to go out to dinner, play some pool, and then came back. You said you went to Sasuke's house, but didn't Itachi mention he _saw_ us where he works?"

"He wasn't there," Asami said with a frown. "But that isn't the point; you had us all worried sick, Hikari. Take responsibility for that."

"God, okay, I am sorry," Hikari said as she threw her hands up.

"I have to worry what kind of influence Sasuke is if he is convincing you to skip classes," Kakashi spoke up as he crossed his arms. "Hikari, we have already talked about this before."

"I only left because I was stressed out about the project for Asami's class," Hikari said as she threw her hands up in the air. "Sasuke and I spent most of our day here practicing, that's why I left with him!" Hikari took a moment, stepping back and sighing, trying to calm herself down. "Look guys, I am sorry I worried you. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal, why didn't you text me?"

"We did," Asami said with a raised brow, "about a hundred times."

Hikari let out an irritated sigh and then eyed her purse that was on the couch.

"It must be silenced…sorry about that," she said as she threw her head back and leaned on the counter. "Guys, I have had a really long day, can we call the interrogation off please?"

"Why was Sasuke asking you about giving money to someone you hate?" Kakashi asked, ignoring Hikari's request. "Seven-thousand dollars, is the amount I believe you told him."

"I promised I wouldn't say anything," Hikari said with a groan. "I can't say it to you two, you're teachers. It would only make things worse."

"Hikari, you are not leaving this kitchen until you tell me who you gave the money to, and why," Daisuke said as he blocked her way out. "Got it?"

"Fine," Hikari hissed, "but Asami and Kakashi have to leave."

Asami and Kakashi looked at each other, shrugged, and then walked towards the front door and out of it.

"Sasuke was confused," Hikari said as she crossed her arms. "He thought I said that I gave it to someone I hate, but I actually said I would hate to give that much. It was for Midoriko…she needs to set herself up comfortably here."

"Then why was he interrogating you?" Daisuke asked as he ran his hand through his hair.

"I didn't want to say how much because I knew he wouldn't approve," Hikari said with a shrug. "He doesn't think much of her."

Daisuke nodded, seeming to be satisfied with her answer. His posture became serious again and he pointed at her with a frown on his lips.

"You may not be grounded, but expect a lot of calls demanding to know where you are at any given moment," Daisuke said lowly. He turned and then walked towards the door, following Asami and Kakashi out of it.

…

"Well?" Kakashi asked.

"She lied right to my face," Daisuke said as he crossed his arms. "Asami and I are going to go home. You go inside and stick around her door as often as you can. She might call Sasuke and talk to him about it. You might hear the truth."

"I just don't understand why she would give away that much money," Asami said with a frown.

"I have a feeling that it's something serious," Kakashi said as he looked between them. "She said she promised not to tell anyone why."

"For all we know, she could have just paid for someone for someone," Daisuke said with a shrug. "Don't go jumping to conclusions."

"Says the guy who automatically assumed Hikari was kidnapped," Asami said with a raised brow.

"Shut up, that was different…"


	52. Chapter Fifty-Two

**Chapter Fifty-Two:**

Kakashi had expected to be at the teacher-workshops all day, but he had gotten a hold on the new software much before the others, even Asami who tended to be good with computers. He was thankful that he had a more efficient way to keep grades; the previous way they had done things made him feel incredible old and out-of-date. However, it was not how he ideally wanted to spend his Sunday morning. He walked into his house in the early afternoon instead of evening and decided that despite the events of two nights ago, he was going to take Hikari out to a nice lunch.

"Yeah, Midoriko, I moved the money." Kakashi heard Hikari's voice floating through her door and he froze. What Daisuke had told him to do rung in his mind, but a part of him felt guilty because he knew he was spying on someone who could frankly handle themselves. However, he worried about Hikari as well and needed to know if she had somehow gotten herself into something serious. He took the extra step towards her door, listening carefully to her hushed words. "I had to make a large payment of money, so I wanted to move it before he did away with the rest of my funds."

"_He?"_ Kakashi thought with a frown. "_Does she mean her uncle? Now that I think of it, Hikari is only seventeen. She is still a minor in the eyes of the law." _

"How much do I have left?" He heard Hikari lightly chuckle. "More change than he would have liked…about ten million. I don't feel bad about securing it away from his reach either, the bastard stole his original investment from my mother. I see this as giving it back to my actually family."

"_Her mother?"_ Kakashi wondered with a frown. But then he remembered what Daisuke had said; her mother had been raped. "_So Hikari must be born out of the crime…that must be hard on her." _

"The names? Yeah I am done with that," Hikari said lowly. Kakashi had to really strain his ears to hear what she was saying. "I mean, why should I do these terrible things for him when the bastard never loved me or my mother? I am done, I don't want to be his pawn anymore."

"She can't be talking about her uncle…"

Kakashi thought with a frown as he tried to concentrate on her words. "_Unless there was some kind of affair, despite that I would reckon she is talking about her father, but he is supposed to be dead." _

"I just, things are getting serious with Sasuke and I really like it here, Midoriko, I don't want to go back to that awful place…" Hikari paused and there was silence for a few moments. He could hear her sniffling, as if she had been crying. "I always thought it was going to be my future because I was raised in the centre of it, but I have a choice now. I don't want that anymore. I wouldn't be able to run that place knowing that with every action I take, someone is getting hurt. Just because I can't see the outcome doesn't mean it is not happening."

"_What is she talking about?"_ Kakashi thought as confusion took over is features.

"It got real and right up in my face with this whole Akemi-thing," Hikari said as she got up from her bed. Kakashi's heart froze, he thought for a moment that she would walk to the door, but instead he heard the sound of her blowing her nose. He sighed with relief when he heard the bed creak with her weight. "What happened? Well you can't say anything and I might even need your help in the near future. I told him her name, Midoriko. I was just so angry about what she did to Sora and to Sasuke that I didn't even look into it and I told him her name. Suddenly the money went missing and Hoshi showed up at my house with her trailing behind."

Kakashi wasn't sure what he was hearing, but he knew there was something serious going on. He just needed to know what the connection between someone's name and whoever _he_ was. Once he figured that out, he could figure out a way to help Hikari. He had never heard such a young person sound so stressed. The way she talked, she talked as if she was someone twice her age. It wasn't healthy and he wanted to help her.

"What was wrong with her? Akemi's father beat the shit out of her. Her father assumed that when the money went missing, she stole it, and then proceeded to beat the living hell out of her." Hikari paused and then sighed. "Hoshi told me that if Akemi didn't have the money by tomorrow, her father threatened to kill her. I couldn't just let that go unchecked, it was my fault the money went missing from his account in the first place." Kakashi heard Hikari begin to cry again. "There is no way Akemi could have made seven-thousand dollars in one weekend short of whoring herself dry, and even then, not likely. I wasn't going to leave her hanging."

Kakashi swallowed his shock whole.

"_I have to go about this carefully,"_ Kakashi thought with a frown. "_Hikari has gotten herself into something serious and it has to do with her family. From what I heard she was somehow involved in stealing seven-thousand dollars from Akemi and then gave it back to her the day she was arguing with Sasuke." _

Kakashi stood up straight and then looked towards the front door. He nodded to himself and grabbed his things, exiting the house just as silently as he had come and making it look as if he was never there at all.

…

"Hi Hoshi," Hikari said as she opened her front door and let him into the house.

"Akemi gave her dad the money," Hoshi said with a frown. Her ran his hands through his hair and let out a very stressed sigh.

"What aren't you telling me?" Hikari asked as she shut the door and then crossed her arms. I can see it written all over your face, something is wrong."

"Despite the fact that she gave him the money, he tried to hurt her anyways," Hoshi said as he walked towards her couch and sat down. "When she gave it back, he took it as a sign that she really did take the money."

"Did he hurt her?" Hikari asked as she walked towards him.

"He got a few punches in, but I ran inside when I heard her scream. I managed to make him back off and then I made her leave with me," Hoshi replied with a frown. "She's in my car right now. I don't know what to do Hikari, I told her to stay with me, but I know Sora is going to be an ass to her."

"Well, she can't stay with me," Hikari said with apologetic eyes. "I already have had people inquire as to why I gave someone seven-thousand dollars, and Sasuke is frankly pissed off that I won't tell him why."

"I know," Hoshi said with a sigh. "I am so sorry if I caused you any trouble."

"Not at all," Hikari said sat down next to him. "If anything, you opened up my eyes." Hikari stood and then began to pace. "I will tell you what, take Akemi home with you and let her stay there. I will try to find a place for her, but in the meantime she might have to be at your place for a couple of weeks."

"Alright," Hoshi said with a nod. "That sounds reasonable. I am so sorry to ask for your help again."

"It's alright, you're just being a good person," Hikari said as she walked towards the door. "I want to talk to her."

"Oh," Hoshi said as he stood to his feet. "Ah, sure."

They walked outside and Hoshi got into the car while Akemi rolled down the window. Hikari could see the new damage to her face, she had managed to cover the first bruise on her eye with make-up, but where her dad had hit her cheek was purpling. Hikari sighed as she knelt down to her level.

"Look, I know we don't like each other, but despite our differences, I can't stand to see a woman treated the way you're being treated," Hikari said as her jaw tightened. "I am going to help you, but all I ask in return is that you leave Sasuke and I alone."

"Fine," Akemi said as her brow twitched.

"And I have one question," Hikari said as she crossed her arms. "Did you and Sasuke work together to make it so Sora and I wouldn't be friends again…at the talent show?"

A smile came to Akemi's lips, one that was taunting and harsh. Hikari's stomach dropped because, just from that look, she knew what she asked was true. Hikari stood up straight and then looked at Hoshi.

"Get her somewhere to rest."

"Hikari, don't let this fuck up your relationship with him," Hoshi said to her seriously. "It was probably something he regrets."

"I know, Hoshi," Hikari said in return, with just the same amount of seriousness in her tone. "But that won't stop me from bringing it up."

Hoshi sighed and then started his car, driving away before he could start an argument with her. Hikari watched him go, and then turned around. She went to her room and then picked up her phone, biting her lip before she brought up Sora from her contact list.

'I am so sorry that I didn't believe you…can we talk?'

…

Hikari sighed as she worked on an assignment for her history class. She knew out of all the work she had to do, essays were her least favourite. She was just thankful that exams would be soon, and her second semester would begin. Her phone began to ring, blasting her ring tone that was currently set to sing the _Game of Thrones_ theme-song whenever someone called. She picked up the phone with a sigh and put a smile upon her lips before she answered.

"Ello," she said as she highlighted a section of a book she wanted to use as a source.

"Hi, Hikari, it's Tenten."

"Oh hey, what's up?" Hikari asked, setting the highlighter down and leaning back in her computer chair.

"Well, it's Hoshi…we were supposed to meet to grab dinner and a movie and he kind of stood me up," Tenten said with disappointment dripping from every word.

"He hasn't shown?" Hikari asked with surprise in her tone as she opened Skype and then messaged Hoshi. "That's really unlike him"

'_Are you late for something?' _

"I know, but he didn't, so I am going to go home now," she said with a sigh. "If you see him, or whatever, can you tell him that he needs to call me?"

"Yes, I will try to get a hold of him," Hikari said gently. "I am sure he is just busy thinking about exams and it slipped his mind."

"Yeah, maybe, but it still doesn't make me feel any better that I waited around at this place for two hours with the waiting-staff all feeling sorry for me," Tenten said bitterly. "I feel so embarrassed."

"Believe me," Hikari said in a reassuring tone. "He is going to feel terrible."

"Thanks, Hikari," Tenten said, and then the line went dead.

Hikari turned back to Skype.

'YOU FUCKING IDIOT. TENTEN JUST CALLED ME AND SAID SHE WAITED AT SOME RESTURANT FOR YOU FOR TWO HOURS!'

Hikari waited for a few minutes and there was no response, which only angered her more. She rolled her eyes and exited Skype, going back to her essay. Hoshi could fend for himself if he wanted to ignore her when she was only trying to help.

…

Akemi felt her nerves sky-rocket as she looked towards the doors of Hoshi's room and then back to his phone. Without a second thought, she began to mess around with the device until she figured out how to delete the texts and missed calls. She sighed and then put the phone back, when all the messages were gone, onto his computer desk. She heard his messenger on the computer ding and brought it up, only to see that Hikari had messaged him too. She quickly went into the menu of Skype and deleted all of his recent conversations. Just as she minimised the program and opened an internet page to go to her email, Hoshi entered the room with a towel around his waist.

"So I just finished fixing up the guest room so you could stay in there," Hoshi said as he opened is walk-in closet and then went inside. He shut the door and in a minute or two, returned wearing black pajama pants and a faded grey t-shirt. He smiled at her. "I know you didn't bring anything but what you wore here, so when you changed into my shirt, I put your clothes in the wash."

"Thanks," Akemi said as she looked at him with a soft smile. "I really appreciate it."


	53. Chapter Fifty-Three

**Chapter Fifty-Three:**

Hikari got out of her car and then approached the Uchiha house with purpose clearly in her steps. She knocked on the door, but knew that the anger that shook her entire body had forced her knock to sound more like a bang. As she waited, everything was tense and her thoughts were going off in a thousand directions; she had no idea how to start the conversation that had been buzzing around in her mind, let alone how it would end.

"Hikari," Itachi said softly as he opened the door. "Sasuke didn't expect you tonight."

"That's because I didn't call," she uttered in a hiss as she pushed passed him and entered his home. "Where is he?"

"May I ask why you're out to get blood?" Itachi asked with a raised brow.

"Just tell me where he is and get the fuck out of my way," Hikari said hostilely as she looked over her shoulder.

Itachi sighed and then shook his head. "Sasuke is in the garage."

Hikari walked as fast as her feet would carry her away from Sasuke's unnerving brother and towards entrance of the garage. Through the glass of the door she saw that he was tuning his mother's cello with a faraway look in his eyes. She hesitated for a moment, unsure of if she should enter.

"Today is the anniversary of her death," Itachi said as he came up behind Hikari. "I ask that if you're going to go in there, you don't bring up whatever he did that has you so angry until tomorrow. He has enough to deal with."

She stood there, continuing to look into the room. Now that she understood the context behind the look on Sasuke's face, she could see the loneliness and sadness there. She let out a long sigh, attempting to release some of her anger along with it; Itachi was right, it was not a good night for her to question him about Akemi. Hikari stepped away from the door and out of Sasuke's line of vision before she turned to Itachi and crossed her arms.

"How did it happen?" he asked as she looked up into his eyes. "Sasuke always blames you…he says you killed them."

Itachi shook his head and turned away from her as he headed towards what she assumed would lead him to his bedroom.

"Hey!" Hikari said forcefully as she followed after him and grabbed his arm, making him turn towards her. Like the first day she had met Itachi, when he was facing her, he gave her that _look_. The one she couldn't describe, but made her heart flutter. Her voice faded to a whisper. "Answer me…"

"My best friend and I were coming home from a concert. I had just gotten my full license and my parents were too tired to drive," he explained in a low voice. "While we were at the concert, they had spent the night on a date until it was time to leave." Itachi stopped speaking, shaking his head as turned away from her, beginning to leave again. Hikari knew it was hard for him to talk about it, she could see it on his face, but that didn't stop her. She grabbed his arm again, forcing him to stay in the kitchen.

"Finish," she demanded.

Itachi sighed and then yanked his arm away from her hand, running his hands through his hair as he tried to let go of his tension. Upon closer inspection, she could see that his eyes had begun to water and she felt slightly bad for forcing him to tell her. She bit her lip as she watched him struggle, but despite feeling bad, she didn't tell him to stop.

"I had four drinks, but Shisui had much more than that. I thought I could handle it, but I drifted into the other lane, partially due to the alcohol but more to do with how tired I was, and we got hit by a truck. I killed everyone in the car but myself."

It was silent for a few moments, and once again, after Itachi had figured that she had heard what she wanted to hear, he turned and began to walk away.

"It's a little unfair that he blames you," Hikari said quietly before he could leave.

"But he is right," Itachi said with a sigh as he looked over his shoulder. "I knew I was in no condition to drive…I should have just gotten a hotel room."

Hikari sighed and then bit her lip.

"If it was drinking that killed your parents and friend…why do you work at a bar?" Hikari asked a little timidly.

"To remind myself of what happened."

With his final words Itachi walked away from her and towards his room, slamming the door shut as he went. She still felt slightly bad for forcing him to tell her, but didn't allow it to weight to heavily on her mind. Hikari felt she needed to know so that she could better understand Sasuke, she was not about to feel bad for that. She had other things to think about. Just as she turned, Sasuke exited the garage and looked at her with surprise showing in his eyes.

"Hikari?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Hi…" she said, letting go of the rest of her anger.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he walked closer to her.

Hikari smiled sadly at him. "I thought you might need someone…"

…

"That's what I heard, Daisuke," Kakashi said as he looked towards the other man with his arms crossed.

"I think it's possible that she was sent here by the very man who raped Shizuka," Asami said as she looked between them. "I would bet that her father is not dead and she made up the entire story of her past, but why?"

"Something about money," Kakashi said with a sigh. "But she was saying that she was running away from him, that she wouldn't do it anymore. She was talking to that Midoriko girl."

"She must be involved then," Daisuke said as his eyebrows pulled together in deep thought. "I think we shouldn't corner her, but maybe try to get more information before we confront her."

Asami frowned and then looked between them.

"Have you both forgotten that regardless of what she says now, she stole money from people?" Asami asked as she ran her hand through her hair. "She committed a crime."

"But she might have been forced," Daisuke said as he looked at his sister. "I am a part of the police force, and the way she spoke to me when I asked about the money, I thought something much deeper might being going on…I could see the guilt in her eyes. But there was something else…a fear. She was afraid to tell me the truth."

"She did say that the man she spoke of never loved her or her mother," Kakashi said as he looked between them. "If she is talking about her father, I think she was raised in some place that had a very bad environment. What Daisuke is saying could match up with that. Hikari said she wasn't ever going back and she moved money to a different bank account. I think he forced her to come here."

"Look," Daisuke said as he looked at them both seriously. "Neither of you are to address Hikari about this, whatsoever. I am going to use my resources to try and find out who her father is. And once I do that, _**I **_will talk to her."

…

"The spot is great for skipping stones," Sora said as he sat down next to the blonde who was looking out onto the lake's surface with far-away eyes.

"Well, that seat was better when you weren't in it," she responded in a hiss as she picked up a stone and chucked it. It skipped across the shimmery surface of the water six times before it sunk out of sight.

"Come on, Midoriko," Sora said as he looked at her with a charming smile. "I don't bite."

"Maybe not," Midoriko said as she looked up into his eyes with a glare coming from her emerald ones, "but you do punch."

Sora's expression fell and his jaw tightened; her words were like a fresh slap to the cheek, stinging his heart because he knew they were right. However, after a moment, he let out a heavy sigh and tried to let it go.

"Hikari asked to speak with me," he said as he looked out onto the lake.

"Don't," Midoriko answered simply. "You don't deserve it."

"I want to make things right!" he said as he turned towards her from a large frown upon his face.

"Well, sometimes it is too late for those kind of actions," Midoriko said as she looked away from him.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Sora asked as he threw a rock, it failed to skip and immediately sunk.

"Why shouldn't I?" she asked as she stood. "You can stay here, but since you interrupted my quiet time, I am leaving. I would like to continue to have peace-of-mind."

"You won't even give me a chance," Sora uttered as his eyes remained transfixed on the water's surface.

"There isn't a reason too…all you could offer me is a black eye. I'm sorry to say that I am not interested."


	54. Chapter Fifty-Four

**Chapter Fifty-Four:**

"Get up?" Hoshi asked groggily. "But isn't it Sunday?"

His mother rolled her eyes and walked further into his room, ripping the blankets from his bed. Once she was sure the cool air had begun to sink in, and the sound of Hoshi groaning out in protest, she smiled.

"No, it's Monday," she said as she dropped the blanket and then crossed her arms. "You have school in an hour."

"Monday!?" Hoshi asked as he sat up, his eyes widened. He threw his head back and ran his hands through his hair. "Oh, fuck!"

"Hoshi Hayate, do not cuss in front of your mother!" she said sternly as she turned and walked out of the door. "I know you thought you had another day of the weekend, but you didn't, so get dressed and get to school."

Hoshi did not answer her, instead he only continued to groan and hit his head against his hands.

"I can't believe how stupid I am."

"Yes, you aren't as stupid as your brother, but you have your less than positive moments," his mother said as she turned for the door. When she got to the entryway, she looked over her shoulder at him. "And please find another place for Akemi to stay as soon as possible. You know how I feel about her, Hoshi." She sighed and then continued on her way out. "Why can't you two bring that sweetheart Hikari over more often?"

When his mother was gone, he was up in an instant and at his phone. There were no calls or texts for him. He raised his brow and began to text Tenten.

'_I am so sorry I missed last night, I thought it was Saturday for some stupid reason. Please forgive me? I promise I wasn't being a jerk on purpose! I love you.' _

Hoshi set his phone down and began to throw off his clothes, only to quickly replace them with fresh ones. When he was dressed, his quickly combed through his hair and then threw his school supplies in his backpack.

"Hey, Hoshi?"

He looked up and tried to smile. "Oh, hey Akemi. Sorry I am running a bit late."

"Not a problem," she said as she walked further in and then sat down on his bed. "I know you have done a lot for me, and I know I have been difficult, but can I bother you for just one more favour, please?"

"Ah, sure," he said as he put on deodorant and then put on socks.

"I was wondering if you would come with me to my house tonight so that I can grab some clothes from my room," she said as she folded her hands and began to stare at her fingers. "I am too afraid to go alone and last time you actually held off my father without much trouble. It would mean the world to me."

Hoshi turned to her with a smile and then walked to her and sat down next to her. "Sure," he said as he put his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "If that's what you need, I will help you."

Akemi smiled and then looked up into his eyes.

"Tenten is really lucky she has someone like you," Akemi said seriously. "Most guys don't care, but you do…you're actually really nice. The way you came to help me and get me out of my house has really meant a lot to me, even though I don't act like it sometimes."

Hoshi shrugged and stood.

"I get it, you're in that defensive place," he said as he slung his bag over his shoulder. "But hopefully, you can turn your life around and start making friends and maybe even find a guy who would be good to you."

Akemi smiled and watched as he left the room, standing up and following behind him at a distance.

"_I think I already have."_

…

"I am so nervous," Hikari said as she looked at him from her seat in the cafeteria. They had both happened to arrive at the school earlier than most, so they decided to get breakfast. "This is the day we perform for Asami during class."

Sasuke shrugged as he took a bite of his toast.

"We will do fine," he said after he had swallowed the bread. "We have been practicing ever since we got the assignment."

"I know," Hikari said as she bit her lip. "But what if Asami doesn't like it?"

"To be honest, Hikari, I think she is a little biased towards you," Sasuke said as he looked at her with a raised brow. "You're the only student who actually calls her by her first name and she has always favoured you."

"But still," Hikari said as she pouted. "I might mess up!"

Sasuke reached across the table with his free hand and grabbed hers, squeezing it.

"Calm down," he said to her as he looked her in the eyes. "If you can handle singing in front of an auditorium full of people, you can handle playing a piece for Asami in front of your class."

"Okay…" Hikari said with a defeated sign as she looked at him through her lashes, "but, I am still nervous."

Sasuke shook his head and rolled his eyes before he took another bite of his toast.

"You're so hopeless…just shut up and eat the bagel I bought you."

…

"Hey Sora," Hikari whispered as she pulled him out of the main hall and off to the side. They stood in a corridor that led to the washrooms, away from curious eyes.

"Whoa, we're going to be late for class, Koizumi," he said as he looked back towards the hallway. "I have a music exam today."

"Me too, but this is urgent," Hikari whispered. "Akemi told me that she worked with Sasuke to make you look like a prick in front of me…is it true? Do not **lie** to me because I will find out."

Sora looked at her and then averted his eyes. "Look, Hikari, I don't think it's such a great idea to bring this up," he said as he exhaled a heavy sigh. "The four of us just finally put this stuff behind us…I don't want to make things worse. I don't want you to come back and be my friend again just because other people confirmed what I have been trying to tell you for months. Hikari, my word wasn't good enough for you, so let's just leave it at that."

Sora turned and began to walk away from her and in response she raised her brow.

"You were so determined to make me believe you…" Hikari spoke with confusion, "now that I want to know, why dismiss me?"

Sora looked over his shoulder and stared at her thoughtfully. "Because even if I do become friends with you it won't feel right; just friends will never be good enough for me."

Hikari's jaw tense and her lips tightened into a line.

"Tell me what happened Sora, I have the right to know," she demanded.

Sora shrugged and then began to walk away.

"I'm sorry, Koizumi, but I don't want to get involved in this."

…

While Hikari and Sasuke prepared for their exam, she watched him carefully. She couldn't see anything deceitful in the way he moved about his instrument or the gaze he occasionally held with her. She forcefully drew in a deep breath when he came up to her and grabbed her hand, squeezing it.

"Calm down," he whispered in her ear. Sasuke kissed her temple gently, making her cheeks heat up. "Everything will be fine."

Hikari wanted to do nothing more than believe his words, but she had a terrible feeling that in the next few days everything would not be fine. However, she knew she had to ask him about it. She needed to know if she actually ever meant anything, or if this was all some kind of game to him. Hikari bit her lip as she felt tears well in her eyes; her relationship with Sasuke felt so real to her that even the thought of the fact that he may have been faking his feelings for her absolutely crushed her. She had let him touch her in the most intimate ways and he had taken her virginity, something she had been preserving for the _right_ one; with that new thought, she began to feel nauseous.

Before she knew it, she was rushing out of the music room, attempting to get air in the mini-foyer before she ended up getting sick in front of everyone. It took Sasuke little time to catch up with her and then make sure there were no prying eyes before he went to her. Without asking what was wrong, he pulled her into him and began to run his fingers through her hair as he held her tightly.

"Hikari," he said gently, "this is nothing to get so upset over. You will be able to play the piece without a problem."

Hikari's lip quivered as she looked up into his eyes, desperately trying to see something in their depths; something that would tell her that he loved her. However, she only got lost in the black abyss. Hikari's tears became uncontrollable and she pushed away from him, walking to the wall and then sinking down it, holding her head. She heard his footsteps and knew that he was kneeling in front of her when she felt his hand on her shoulder, his fingers gently caressing her skin.

"This isn't about the exam, is it?" he asked as he put his hand under her chin and gently lifted her face to look at him.

"No," she choked out as she tried to look at him, but she found that the sincerity and worry on his face only served to confuse her more.

"Is this about the money?" Sasuke asked as he tilted his head. "Look, I am sorry if I came off as if I was trying to control you, but I was just worried."

"No, Sasuke," she said as she closed her eyes. When she wasn't looking at him, she found her strength; she was able to calm herself and stop her tears. Before she started, Hikari took in a deep breath as she wiped them from her eyes and then she began to speak. "Did you help Akemi make Sora look bad in front of me so that I wouldn't be friends with him anymore?"

"Excuse me?"

"Akemi said that you and her have been working together for a long time to get me away from Sora," Hikari repeated, still not looking at him, but her words becoming much quieter the second time around.

She felt Sasuke grab a hold of her chin and made her look into his eyes again. "Do you honestly believe that, Hikari?"

"I don't know what to believe," she said as she turned her face away from his touch. "All I know is that Sora has been feeding me the same story for months and I wouldn't hear a word of it, but now Akemi is saying that-"

"Hikari, your mind is clearly made up upon who is the liar, so why even ask me?" Sasuke asked icily as he stood up.

"Sasuke, that's not-"

"Not what you meant?" he asked, attempting to kept his voice from rising, but failing. She could see the tension in the way his muscles tightened and his anger in the way his hands shook. "Then please enlighten me as to what you meant when you asked me."

Hikari stood now too, her frown increasing, feeling her eyes begin to sting with the building of tears. "I just want to know if you have been playing me this entire time," Hikari said as she began to cry again, the tears slowly running down her cheeks. "Have you ever actually loved me?"

"You shouldn't even have to ask me that," Sasuke hissed as his jaw tightened.

"Tell me!" she demanded loudly before she promptly began to sob. "Please."

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it. He pointed at her and then in a snarl said, "We're done." When his words sunk in and her eyes widened, he turned and began to walk towards the classroom door again.

"Sasuke, no," Hikari said as she ran after him, her tears becoming even more frantic. "Please, Sasuke."

He looked over his shoulder and then frowned as he turned back to the classroom.

"Please, d-don't do this," she stammered, grabbing onto his arm. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"You did this," he said coolly as he yanked his arm free from her hands.

"_Please_, Sasuke," she exclaimed as she began to hysterically cry. "I can't lose you!"

Sasuke ignored her pleas and then stormed into the classroom, slamming the door in her face. Hikari felt her heart sink and she began to gasp for breath, trying to make the tears stop, but they wouldn't, they only fell faster. She found herself taking steps backwards until she hit a wall and eventually slid down it. She sat there, crying into her arms, not knowing what to do with herself and hardly believing what had just happened.

"I said I wouldn't mess with Sasuke…"

Hikari looked up towards the entrance of the foyer only to see Akemi leaning on the doorframe with a pompous smirk on her face.

"But I never said anything about you."

"What have I ever done to you!?" Hikari demanded in a scream as she watched Akemi walk towards the music room.

When Akemi didn't answer, Hikari flung to her feet and ran at the girl, screaming as the tears leaked from her eyes. She forcefully grabbed onto Akemi's head and smashed it against the brick-wall, instantly drawing blood on the uneven surface. Akemi let out her own screams now as her eyes widened. Hikari threw her to the ground and then began to repeated kick her in the ribs.

"You stupid bitch!" Hikari shouted loudly as she let all of her pent up anger take control.

Asami rushed out of her classroom with widened eyes and immediately ran for Hikari, shoving her away from Akemi. Hikari screamed as she lunged for the girl, shoving Asami out of the way and began to attack her target again. Akemi cried out in pain as she spit up blood and Hikari didn't care, she just wanted her _dead._

"Holy shit," Sora said as his eyes widened.

"Get her off of her!" Asami demanded as he began to stand up. "She's going to put the girl in a coma if she doesn't stop!"

Sora nodded and ran at Hikari, holding her in the same way his brother had when Sora was so angry; his hands looped around her arms and hands folded behind her head. Hikari thrashed in his hands, screaming as she tried to get at Akemi who groaned in pain. Sasuke came out of the room and his eyes travelled from his enraged ex-girlfriend to Akemi.

"You did this!" Sora hissed as he used all of his strength to hold Hikari back. Eventually she broke down and began to hysterically cry again. Sora sighed as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "You could have just fucking told her the truth Uchiha! You and I both know you didn't do a goddamned thing, but you chose to be a complete dick! You _knew_ Akemi had planted the idea in her mind, you knew Hikari asking was Akemi's fault!"

"Get her to the office, now," Asami hissed as he looked at him. "Uchiha, you go too!" When her students hesitated, Asami growled. "NOW!"


	55. Chapter Fifty-Five

**Chapter Fifty-Five:**

"Please, Ms. Tsunade," Sora begged, "don't expel Hikari."

"Mr. Hayate, she beat another student until she was bloody and made sure she got a room in the hospital. Hikari already has an act of violence on her record and it is no surprise that Mr. Uchiha, was yet again involved," Tsunade said sternly, "I find myself with little choice."

"Hikari only snapped because Akemi has been bullying her," Sora said desperately. "She has been viciously attacking Hikari in covertly-aggressive ways all year, making things go horribly wrong for Hikari. She snapped because Akemi purposely fed her lies and Uchiha broke up with her when she asked about them!"

"Hikari attacked Akemi Aizawa because her boyfriend broke up with her?" Ms. Tsunade asked very calmly but Sora could tell by the manner in which she did, the argument was not going as well as it should have.

"Ms. Tsunade," Sasuke spoke up with a frown. "Akemi has been trying to pick fights with my girlfriend all year. She singled her out at a party and tried to assault her, she's turned Hikari's friends against her, and she has plainly manipulated Hikari before."

"I thought you broke up with Hikari?" Tsunade asked with a raised brow.

"That was a mistake…my temper got the best of me," he responded coolly.

"Why would Hikari listen to Akemi if she really had been spreading lies and picking fights the entire year?"

Sasuke frowned, knowing that he didn't understand the entire story, but he could at least tell some of it. "I don't know what was going on in Akemi's personal life that caused it, but this weekend she suddenly showed up at Hikari's house with her very close friend, Hoshi Hayate, and he asked for seven-thousand dollars." Sasuke paused and then crossed his arms. "I was there. I think Hikari thought by giving Akemi the money, she was calling a truce."

"Does your brother know why Akemi asked for this money?" Tsunade asked Sora.

"I am not sure as to what Uchiha's even talking about, but I do know Aizawa is now staying in my house instead of hers," Sora said as he looked towards Sasuke.

"Hoshi knows," Sasuke confirmed, "Hikari knows too."

It was then that all three heads turned towards the room that the girl was isolated in.

"Let me talk to her," Sasuke demanded. "She will listen to me."

"She's dangerous," Tsunade said as she shook her head.

"She won't attack me," Sasuke said forcefully. "She only attacked Akemi because what I did to her, let me see her. None of this is Hikari's fault."

"Regardless of who prompted her, Hikari attacked a girl and sent her to the hospital. By law, I am required to call the police," Tsunade said sternly. "You cannot go in there until they take her statement on what happened."

"The cops!?" Sora asked desperately. "She's going to go to prison for assault!"

"No she won't," a voice said from behind them.

"And you are?" Tsunade asked as she looked up from her desk at the man who had entered.

"Daisuke Koizumi, Konoha Police Force," he said as he showed her his badge. "Newly transferred, actually."

"Family connections will not help her," Tsunade said forcefully. "She attacked a student."

"Actually, Akemi Aizawa does not wish to press any charges," he said as he folded his arms.

Sasuke raised his brow as he looked towards Daisuke. _"Why would Akemi not try to sue Hikari?" _he wondered as he stared towards the floor._ "Something is not right…" _

"Unless you choose to take disciplinary action, all I have to do is go in there, take her statement, and then she is free to leave," Daisuke finished with a cheery smile.

"Please, Ms. Tsunade," Sora said as he looked back at his principal. "She only did this because of the bullying. Please don't expel her. This school also has a no tolerance for bullying."

Tsunade's lips formed into a tight line. "By those words I should expel both of them," Tsunade said as she crossed her arms.

"Please, just separate them or something," Sora begged.

"I will sue this school to high hell if my niece gets expelled for fighting, but the other girl doesn't despite the way she has verbally and physically assaulted Hikari since she got here," Daisuke said firmly. "You and I both know I am within my legal rights and this school would find itself out of a prestigious reputation and a lot of money. I also know that Aizawa's sister invested money into this school and would be furious to know Akemi got expelled…I've done my research."

"I do not respond kindly to threats, Mr. Koizumi," Tsunade practically sneered.

"Then take it as a warning," he said with a smile.

"Koizumi will have detention for the rest of the year," Tsunade said as she began to write notes into a book with an outraged expression on her face. "If Aizawa feels unsafe, Koizumi will be removed from any classes they may have together and Hikari is to be suspended until the end of the semester, taking her final exams in a very controlled environment in my office."

"Ms. Tsunade, isn't that a little strict?" Sora asked as he furrowed his brow.

"You're lucky I am giving her any leniency at all," Tsunade said sternly.

"It's fine," Daisuke said with a triumphant smile.

"Uchiha is suspended for three days and Aizawa for five days for instigating," Tsunade said as she looked towards Sasuke. "If one more incident happens between you and Ms. Koizumi that causes a scandal, no matter how small, both of you _will_ be expelled, do you understand?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Very well, Hayate, go back to class and request that Uchiha and Koizumi do their exam in private with Ms. Koizumi at her home due to their suspension," she said as she stood. "After Officer Koizumi takes her statement, Uchiha, you may see Hikari and then escort her home." Tsunade walked to the pager and then spoke over the intercom. "Hoshi Hayate to the main office…I repeat, Hoshi Hayate to the main office."

Tsunade walked towards the front desk, waiting for the other brother to show up. Sora watched as Daisuke sighed and then walked into the room Hikari sat in. When he was sure they were both out of earshot Sora turned to Sasuke and frowned.

"You don't deserve a second chance," Sora hissed.

"Why did you lie about Akemi in front of Hikari?" Sasuke asked back, just as coolly. "You know I helped her lock you in that bathroom and then led Hikari to the scene."

"Because, you make Hikari happy," Sora said as he looked at Sasuke with eyes narrowed into a glare, "no matter how much of a dick you actually are." Sasuke scoffed as Sora crossed his arms. "Well, if we're asking questions, why did you break up with Hikari when she asked you about it?"

"I don't have to explain anything to you," Sasuke said as he rolled his eyes.

"Unless you want me to tell Hikari the truth, you do," Sora insisted. "Why did you break up with her."

Sasuke paused for a long moment, and then let out an angered sigh before he began to speak. "Because she questioned if I actually had feelings for her…she thought I was so much of a sociopath that I would do all of that for no reason than to see her hurt," Sasuke said bitterly.

Now it was Sora's time to scoff.

"Well, you had better hope she will take you back."

"Who are you trying to impress?" Sasuke asked as he looked at Sora with a raised brow. "There's only one reason you would do all this…"

"I am doing all of this because I care about Hikari's happiness," Sora said in a defensive tone.

"Sure," Sasuke said as he stood up and brushed himself off. "And I can control the weather." When Sasuke turned away from Sora, Daisuke walked out of the room containing Hikari. "Can I see her?"

Daisuke nodded and Sasuke walked towards the room as Sora got up and began to leave.

"Hey, kid," Daisuke said as he walked up to Sora. "You pass Kakashi Hatake's class on the way back to class, right?"

"Yeah," Sora said as he turned to Hikari's uncle. "Why?"

"Could you ask him to meet me in the parking lot and then when you get to my sister, can you ask her as well?" Daisuke asked as he crossed his arms.

"Sure," Sora said with a nod. "I can do that. Thanks for what you did for Hikari…I'm glad she has you."

…

"Hikari, I am supposed to take you home," Sasuke said as he entered the room she sat in. She still had tears rolling down her face and she sat with her body positioned towards the window so she could watch the traffic go by.

"Is she okay?" she asked quietly, not looking at Sasuke. "Daisuke didn't really say…he just said she was rushed to the hospital."

"Your attack aggravated previous injuries she had sustained and caused some internal bleeding," Sasuke said as he crossed his arms. "At some point she said that she didn't want to press charges."

Hikari didn't reply to him, instead she continued to look out the window while her body tensed. She was ashamed of the fact that no matter what she told herself she _did not_ feel guilt for attacking Akemi, only a sick sense of satisfaction. Hikari clothes her eyes and let out a sigh.

"I can drive myself home," she spoke up quietly, "but am I expelled?"

"No, Hayate, your uncle, and I talked to her and managed to plea in your defence," Sasuke said as he walked towards her and then sat down in the chair next to her. "You have been suspended for the rest of the semester and will take your exams in the office. You also have detention for the rest of the year."

"I understand," she said firmly as she stood to her feet and grabbed her bag from the floor. As she went to pass him, Sasuke outstretched his arm, touching the desk and blocking her way out.

"Look, I need you to know something," Sasuke said as he looked up into her eyes.

"I'm sorry I accused you of not caring," Hikari said as she looked away for him. "But maybe this is for the best, I guess somewhere deep down I didn't completely have faith in you."

"But you were right, Hikari," Sasuke said with a sigh. "I did help Akemi."

"But Sora said-"

"Never mind what Hayate said," Sasuke snapped as he stood up and grabbed her face with his hands. "You were right about how I helped her, but not for the reasons you thought. I had already decided that I needed to tell you what I felt about you, but when I saw you with Sora again I knew that my chances were screwed. Akemi happened to approach me with an idea to break you and Sora apart."

"And you just decided to help her even though you knew about how much I hated her?" Hikari asked, betrayal leaking from her words as she backed away from his touch.

"I wasn't thinking clearly," Sasuke said with a sigh as he crossed his arms.

"Sasuke, you tried to control me because you didn't put enough faith in **me**," Hikari said bitterly as she glared at him. "I find it funny that when I find out the truth and ask about it, you go so defensive that you _broke up_ with me even though everything I had asked about is true. If we were still together now and I heard what you just said, I would have been angry, but I wouldn't have purposely tried to hurt you."

"That's not true," Sasuke said as his hands tightened into fists.

"Excuse me?" Hikari asked in a hiss. "Which part of my last statement was a lie exactly?"

"You asked if I didn't care about you and if I had been playing you along just for the hell of it. That wasn't true. What kind of person do you think I am?" Sasuke asked as he put his hands on her shoulders and held her in place. "I only did all these things because I do have feelings for you…because I wanted you for myself."

"But-"

"Hikari, what more do I need to say?" Sasuke asked as he pressed his forehead against hers. "I did what I did out of jealousy. In order to feel jealously, I would have to have felt something stronger too."

"But you said that we're done," Hikari whispered.

"A mistake…" When Hikari didn't answer, he continued, "one I won't repeat."

Hikari bit her lip, wanting more than anything to put the entire situation behind her, but a part of her still felt so upset about what he had told her. She had simply asked the truth and Sasuke had acted so offended that it made Hikari feel borderline unworthy of his affection. He had blown the entire situation out of the water, and yet, imagining not being in a relationship with him made her heart wrench. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, feeling his hands come to her face and wipe the tears that were forming in her eyes away. Sasuke leaned in so close she could feel his minty breath on his lips. After a moment of hesitation on his part, he closed the space between them and pressed his soft lips to hers.


	56. Chapter Fifty-Six

**Chapter Fifty-Six:**

Sasuke sighed as he came to a stop at the curb by her house, shifting his '69 Camaro into park. Hikari lifted her head and saw Kakashi and Daisuke's cars in the driveway, a frown instantly made its way onto her face. She lifted her hand to the door-handle, but found that she hesitated. With a sigh, she hung her head and leaned back in his seat.

"What's wrong?"

Hikari turned her head to see Sasuke staring at her with a quirked brow. His wrist rested on the wheel and his other hand on the gear stick. Hikari bit her lip, wondering if she should even bother, but then realised that it was probably better idea to tell him rather than to keep her problems to herself.

"I don't want to go in there," she whispered, "it's only going to be a night of lectures and questioning and I just want to crawl into bed."

Sasuke didn't need to hear another word, just as Daisuke opened the front door to see what was taking Hikari so long to get out of the car, he shifted the gear and took off. Hikari was truly thankful, because even though he had been a jerk and things were more than unclear between them, he still cared enough about her to help her through a difficult time. That meant something to her because not many of the people she knew would bother right then because of what she had done to Akemi.

"You can stay at my place," Sasuke said as he looked at her with a smirk. "I am suspended too, remember?"

"What about Itachi?" Hikari asked as she folded her arms. "He's always around and kind of creeps me out."

Sasuke's smirk grew into a smile.

"He's out of town for a few days visiting a friend," Sasuke said as he sped up. "It's just going to be us."

"Well, don't get any ideas," Hikari said as she looked at him sternly. "I want to have a serious talk."

Sasuke did not look at her, but he nodded, knowing that she would ask for a conversation at some point. He felt he had said a lot of what he had to say already, but guessed it would not hurt to add more words to the apology. Hikari probably needed him more than she let on.

…

"Look, Tenten, I am so sorry," Hoshi said as he ran an unsteady hand through his hair. "I totally lost track of time."

"How do you just forget that it was Sunday?" Tenten asked as she put her hands on her hips. "What made you forget?"

"I was a bit preoccupied with some stuff," he said with a sigh, upset that he couldn't just tell her the truth. Akemi had asked him not to, so he wouldn't.

"What kind of stuff!?" she demanded with a frown. "How am I supposed to forgive you if you won't even tell me what you were doing?"

"I was dealing with some family problems," he said with a shrug. "I'm not supposed to talk about it."

If he could, he'd beat himself with a led pipe for lying to her. But he didn't know what else to say. He had made a promise and Hoshi didn't easily go back on one of those.

"Well, is everything alright?" she asked as she folded her arms and her angered eyes turned to worried. "It's your dad isn't it? Is he having more heart problems?"

"No, he's fine," Hoshi said as he shook his head. "There more of problems that Sora caused and I got dragged into."

Tenten rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You need to let your brother figure out his own problems. This has something to do with Aizawa doesn't it?"

"No," Hoshi said firmly, "just Sora."

"Alright, Hoshi," she said as she shrugged. "I guess it wasn't your fault. Family first, right?"

"So you're not mad?" he asked as relief flooded into his eyes.

"I'm not mad, but I'm not exactly happy either," she said as she walked towards him and pulled him into a hug. After a second, she reached up and pulled his head down, kissing him and making him smile.

"Thank god, I don't know what I would do if you were mad at me," Hoshi whispered onto her lips as he pressed his forehead to hers.

"Panic," she answered for him with a small chuckle.

"Yeah," he said with a nod, "you're right about that."

As they stood there like that, he heard two people pass, whispering to each other. They peaked his curiosity because of their expressions, both of the girls walking looked disturbed, extremely disturbed. He decided to strain his hearing in order to hear them well.

"Yeah, it was pretty scary," the blond whispered. "No one really saw it, but all they know is that some people rushed out and she was on the ground in a bloody pile. She got beat up pretty bad."

"I don't normally like her," the girl's lavender haired friend said back in a hushed tone, "but you have to feel bad for Aizawa. They rushed her to the hospital."

"I know…"

Hoshi's eyes widened and he ripped himself away from Tenten in less than a heartbeat.

_"Did she go to see her father?"_ Hoshi asked himself with widened eyes._ "No it happened here, so does that mean he came here and did it when I wasn't around?" _

"Hoshi?" Tenten asked with a quirked brow. "Are you alright?"

Hoshi looked down at her and swallowed his nerves.

"I've got to go," he said quietly.

"Wait, what do-" he cut her off.

"I'm sorry! I'll call you, I promise," he said as he turned and began to jog down the hall and out of sight.

…

Sora stuffed his hands into his pockets, yawning as he walked through the park to get home. He looked down at his iPod, trying to find the right song to listen to. He eventually settled on _Haven't Had Enough_ by _Marianas Trench_. He was feeling kind of happy today knowing that he had saved Hikari from being expelled, he felt it was one of the first things he had done right since before Christmas. She had wanted to speak with him before then too, so maybe there was really room to be friends again. He just had to get a certain someone on his good side first. When Sora lifted his eyes to watch the pathway and make sure he didn't walk into anyone, he found his eyes level with the head of blond hair and did exactly what he had been trying to avoid.

"Hey, watch where you're going!"

Sora looked down and shook his head, his eyes eventually focusing on the face of Midoriko. She shook her head when she saw him, her expression somehow turning sourer than when she had reacted to being bumped into. He smiled apologetically as he put his hand on the back of his neck and then took out one of his earbuds.

"I'm sorry," he said sheepishly as he held up his iPod to show her his music, "I was trying to find a song to listen to."

Her eyes flicked to the song he was listening to and then Midoriko smiled without meaning to.

"I love Marianas Trench," she said more to herself than him. She shook her head again when she remembered who she was talking to and then screwed up her face until she looked remotely mad once again. "Are you following me around or something?"

"Ah, no," he explained with a cheery smile as he looked around the park. "I walk through here to get home. This park cuts through the centre of town and it's easier to get to the other side by going through it. Hikari lives on the same side of town as me."

"That's lovely," Midoriko said with a roll of her eyes. "Stop stalking my friend."

"Well, she used to be my friend too," he said with a shrug. "I didn't talk to her, just like you told me to."

"Good," Midoriko said firmly.

"Yeah," he said with a sigh. "Did you hear about what happened today?"

"No?" she asked with a raised brow. "Is it worth my time?"

"Do you care about the fact that Hikari was almost expelled?" he asked in return as he shifted his weight and then crossed his arms.

"Yes!" she said as her eyes widened.

"Then it's worth your time," he said as he looked around again. "Come on, follow me, I will tell you the details over some coffee."

"Tell me here!" she demanded as she pursed her lips. Her emerald eyes stared at him with determination to get her way.

"My story, my rules," he said with a smirk as he looked down at her round face. "It's a bit of a long tale too."

"I will just hear it from her," Midoriko spit as she began to walk again.

"That won't work," Sora said as he turned towards her again. "She's in a lot of trouble. Strictly no friends allowed at her house right now."

Midoriko bit her lip and looked back at him. She knew that sneaky bastard was manipulating her, but she wanted to know what happened. With a sigh and a roll of her eyes she turned and walked back to his side.

"Fine, one coffee," she said bitterly, "but that's it. This doesn't mean we're friends."

"Got it," he said as a smile that made her heart flutter spread across his face. "Shall we then?"

Midoriko pressed her lips into a firm line.

"Let's go."


	57. Chapter Fifty-Seven

**Author's Chapter Notes:** So...just to warn everyone, the majority of this chapter is a LEMON. If you don't want to read it, don't read past the first "...". Anyways, I hope to hear from you guys after this because I am nervous as HELL!

**Chapter Fifty-Seven:**

"Akemi," Hoshi said quietly as he approached her bedside.

She looked up at him through glazed over eyes, almost as if she couldn't see him but was rather looking through him. The white walls of the bare hospital room seemed to suck all of the energy and life from her peachy skin, making her look drained and pale as a sheet. The bruises on her face were like fresh blotches of paint thrown onto a white canvas, all blue and black as they contrasted against her pale skin.

Hoshi felt his heart drop at he looked at her face, still pretty despite the discolouration and swelling. Akemi smiled when he lightly brushed her midnight-blue bangs from her face, looking so happy despite the obvious pain she was in. Hoshi didn't know how someone could treat another person this way.

"How?" he asked quietly as he sat down in the chair next to her bed and laced her fingers with his, doing anything in his power to comfort her.

It was then that the tears welled up in her eyes and immediately began to slip down the path to her ears. Akemi turned her head and looked at him, distraught as she cried. Her hand tightened in his and as he gazed upon the sad sight of her sorrow, he knew someone was going to pay.

"I don't know what I did," she croaked as she tried to speak through her tears. "It all happened so fast."

"Calm down," he said in a soothing tone as he rubbed his thumb over her hand. He leaned in and smoothed down her hair before he wiped the tears from beneath her watery jade-coloured eyes. The makeup she had worn to school that day had discoloured her skin, turning the trails her tears left behind black.

"It just came out of nowhere," she whispered as his thumb stroked her cheek, trying to comfort her. "I never knew Hikari had such violence in her."

"Hikari?" Hoshi asked with alarm. "She did this to you?"

"I was just going to our music class," Akemi had to pause as she began to cry again, "a-and she just snapped."

"What…why…?" Hoshi trailed off because he was not even sure as to what he should or could say about the news she told him.

"I-I'm not sure," she said as she drew in a breath, trying to keep her voice from cracking. "She went ballistic. The d-….doctor says I have two cracked ribs."

Hoshi pressed his lips into a firm line as he looked into her eyes. Once again, he wiped the tears from her bruised face. He frowned as he leaned forwards and pulled her into a hug, trying to comfort the girl in front of him again.

"I'll talk to her," he said softly. "She should know better."

Only when his shoulder was tucked under her chin and he could no longer see her face, she smiled, knowing she had won.

…

Sasuke's hands grazed across her skin, his fingertips creating chills in their wake as they slid down Hikari's arms. She drew in a deep breath as he lightly bit at her neck, making her shudder as she chewed on the inside of her lip. She stared around his room with half-lidded eyes, trying to think of a way to stop his burning touches, however, the more he touched her, the more she realised she liked them too much to push him away; their talk would have to wait until after she was no longer ensnared in his spell.

His fingers trailed down her waist, finding the bottom of the two shirts she wore. At a slow and tormenting pace, he looped his fingers underneath and dragged both pieces of fabric up, letting the tips of his fingernails kiss every inch of skin on their path as they moved. He pulled away from her neck long enough to bring the shirts up over her head and then reconnected her lips with his in an urgent kiss.

Hikari kissed Sasuke back with just as much fever, letting him push her down onto the bed as his one hand slid up her thigh and lifted her leg to hook around his waist. He squeezed the muscle in his palm, making her gasp at the sudden pinch. His tongue swept into her mouth as his free hand made its way to her stomach, sliding up to her ribs and then to the fabric of the bra. He didn't even give her time to be shy.

Hikari found that her eyes were already rolling as she let her teeth rub against his tongue. He grunted into her mouth as his hand slipped under her bra and grasped at her large breast, rolling it with greedy fingers. When he began to pinch her nipples between his thumb and index, she bucked into him, making sure to grind her hips into his groin. Sasuke groaned and closed his eyes as she roughly pressed herself against him, testing the sensitive flesh through his jeans that had grown rather tight with her teasing.

Sasuke separated from her immediately, lifting her so that he could reach around her and unhook the lacy black bra she wore with his one hand. He tore the fabric from her shoulders as fast as her arms would let him and then threw it down onto his floor. His mouth was on her in seconds, sucking on her budding nipple as his fingers worked the other, pinching, rolling, and flicking.

Hikari tangled her fingers in his tresses, sighing as he nipped at her. She moaned as his name dropped from her lips, so quiet he had barely heard it, but it was enough. He moved again, attacking her mouth with his as her shaky fingers left his hair and found his shirt. He had worn a black button-up, which she easily slipped of his shoulders; however, he still wore a dark blue t-shirt underneath. She pushed him back but, before she could grab at it, he was already attending to the task, ripping the shirt from his skin and darting at her once again; he was eager.

Sasuke trailed kisses down her stomach until he reached her jeans, undoing the button with a flick of his thumb and making her wonder exactly how he had managed such a trick. She didn't have much time to think of it however, because his hands were sliding down her thighs and then her calves as he slipped her jeans off. Hikari quickly sat up before he could grab at her panties and laid her open palm on the bulge between his legs, smirking as she squeezed.

"I should tease you," she purred in his ear as she nipped at the lobe.

He groaned as he closed his eyes, finding himself unable to move under her touch. He could barely feel her fingers moving against him because of the layer of denim, but it was enough pressure to drive him crazy. "Not going to happen," he said gruffly when she stroked at him a little harder. He inhaled sharply as he looked at her through barley opened eyes.

Hikari swallowed her nerves and reached up to the silvery button of his dark jeans, hesitating a moment. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous because she had seen it all before, but her heart was pounding against her ribcage so loudly she was sure he could hear it. Nothing would be different the second time around, she tried to tell herself, but it didn't sooth her. Biting her lip, she looked up to his face and saw him smirking; he thought he had won their little competition of egos.

Hikari scrunched up her nose and forcefully kissed him, pushing down her rapidly beating heart for the sake of his challenge as her fingers fumbled with the rivet of his jeans. Sasuke kissed her back with just as much passion, not giving her time to play as he pushed her back down and held himself over her, his hands planted on the mattress next to her head. He kicked his jeans off, leaving him in his boxers and her in her panties.

Hikari breathed in deeply and looked into his onyx eyes as time stopped for her so she could peer into their depths uninterrupted. Despite all the lust she felt from him, she saw a deeper emotion in reflected as he gazed down at her. A smile broke out onto her lips as a blush came to her cheeks; she didn't know looking into someone's eyes could make her feel so good. She knew that all of this meant something to him just by the look in his eyes. She hadn't ever seen him display emotion like that.

Slowly, Sasuke leaned down and kissed her collarbone, shifting his weight to his knees as he nipped at her skin and trailed his hands down her waist. His kisses followed his way down as his fingers eventually looped under her purple panties. Hikari wildly blushed as he began to pull them down the length of her legs, going extra slow just to be a jerk; her moment was gone now, they were back to challenging each other. Her hands began to shake, but she tried not to let him see how nervous she was. She kept on repeating her mantra, trying to calm herself; she had done this before, nothing was different.

Sasuke's thumbs grazed back up her legs, forcing them apart at the inner thighs. She felt her face turn a deeper shade of red when he began to run the digits down where the line of her underwear would have sat, teasing her. Hikari gasped and then bit her lip when his thumb delved between her folds and began to massage the small bud there. Okay, that was different; he didn't do that last time.

Hikari bucked into him, mouth agape as she closed her eyes tightly; never in her life had she felt something so intense. She moaned his name, throwing her head back in the pillows as her fingers gripped at the sheets desperately, trying to find some kind of grounding, but it didn't help. She could feel every stroke of his thumb run to her core and they all made her shudder.

Just when she began to get used to his movement, he sped up and began to move his thumb in swirls. Hikari held her breath as he massaged her while legs quivered violently. Sasuke leaned over her, not stopping his movements as he plucked at her right nipple with his free fingers and sucked on the other, dragging his teeth against it with every other caress of his tongue. She was trying to focus on breathing, but the higher he took her, the harder it got. She began to call his name again, squirming under him with his assault on her body; Hikari was sure that he had that cocky smirk on his face, but she didn't even have the strength to lift her head from her pillow to check.

Sasuke leaned up and switched from his thumb to his middle finger, stroking her again as he began to kiss her hungrily. Hikari moaned into his mouth and she knew he was smirking by the way his lips felt against hers. She bucked her hips into his, grinding into his fingers and gasping into his mouth at the same time. A coil began to tighten inside of her abdomen, making her quiver with excitement. Hikari threw her head back once again and began to moan loudly, responding to every flick of his finger as he sped up. The pleasure webbed across her being like clouds on a stormy day spread across a grey sky as she came closer to her peak.

Hikari tensed when everything broke at once. She cried out as her body quivered and the heat of her release spread to every point of her body; she could feel it in her fingertips, toes, and cheeks. She gasped for breath as she shook because he kept on going and every flick of his finger became unbearable. Her hands left the sheets and found his back, nails digging into the flesh there as she cried out his name. By the time he finally stopped, she was dizzy and seeing stars.

Sasuke chuckled at her distant expression, biting at her earlobe like she had done to him. "You shouldn't threaten people," he whispered lowly. "They may react differently than you had hoped."

Hikari pouted at him as she pulled his face to her lips and kissed him, shutting him up; she didn't want to listen to him rub his victory in her face. Sasuke bit down on her bottom lip and smirked as he pulled away from her face, looking down at hers. Hikari was a red as a tomato and she turned her head away from him so he couldn't look into her eyes. He leant down to her exposed neck and gently bit down as he began to suck at the skin.

"Hey," Hikari whined with a frown. "You're going to leave a mark."

"So?" he asked as he moved his hips, settling between her legs and positioning himself at her entrance.

She gasped with the sudden intrusion and then swallowed hard. Hikari repeated her mantra again; there was nothing to worry about, she had done this before and nothing would be different. He pushed in a little further, teasing her.

"I-I don't like h-hickies," Hikari said as she shook while her muscles tensed; she knew she had better relax, or what he was going to do would be very painful, but she couldn't.

In response to her words, Sasuke smirked as he sucked on the skin a little harder. Once he was satisfied with the mark, he pulled away and the look on his face let Hikari know that he was proud of his work. His hands found her breasts again and he massaged them with his palms and fingers, making her groan.

"Relax," he said quietly as he began to push into her. Hikari tried to do as he said, but found that her face had scrunched up in pain anyways. Sasuke leaned down and kissed her sweetly as he pulled out at and slow pace and then pushed back in. She winced as her muscles tightened around him and he grunted with the added pressure. "You're not exactly making this easy for me."

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. He kissed her again as one of his hands left her breast and cupped her cheek. He stroked the smooth skin with his thumb, trying to ease her nerves. Hikari kissed him back, trying not to focus on what he was doing and found that it helped her loosen up, and so, Sasuke kept kissing her.

His pace was slow at first, but rhythmic. Soon enough though, Hikari had abandoned her nerves and was now making sweet sounds and bucking her hips to meet Sasuke, which only encouraged him to thrust faster. His hands slid down and he grabbed Hikari's legs, lifting them to his hips so she could wrap them around his body; when he began to plunge into her from the new angle, she gasped out, a small squeak leaving her lips as she closed her eyes. She was tight, tighter than any girl he had ever been with and it only encouraged him to go deeper and faster, but he had to be careful with Hikari; this was only her second time. Her fingernails found his back as she moaned out his name, only encouraging him further. By this point, with her grinding against him, calling his name, and clawing at his back Sasuke was having trouble controlling himself.

Hikari sucked air into her lungs sharply as Sasuke's hips collided with her own; the sound of skin slapping had become so loud she could barely heard the soft grunts coming from Sasuke who leaned over her. He buried his head in the junction of her neck and collarbone, biting down as he thrust.

"If…you leave a-another mark," she said lowly through gasps. Sasuke let an amused 'che' pass his lips as he trusted a little harder in response to her comment, but then rolled his eyes back because she had started to tighten around him as a result.

With every stroke, Hikari began to feel that coil again. He was hitting a certain sweet-spot over and over, making her tense in a way that was much more enjoyable than earlier. She bit her lip as he began to forsake some of his speed for power, trying not to yell; his neighbours probably wouldn't like that.

Every time he moved his hips, her moans got louder and higher pitched. Hikari wasn't even sure how often she was calling his name, but she knew it kept slipping from her lips every time that he did something that caused a spark to go off inside of her; they were beginning to happen more frequently too. She wasn't the only one, however, Sasuke's grunts began to come from somewhere deeper in his chest as he worked at her, getting closer to what he wanted.

"Harder," she said as she began to pant. Sasuke's finger's found her waist and he held her and as slammed into her, making her call out his name even louder; and how he loved hearing her say it.

With just a few more strides, she was gone, her body clutching around him as she violently shook. It was like tidal waves had been unleashed in her body, crashing against wall of her insides and running through her veins, leaving only euphoria in their wake. She laid her head back, enjoying the sensation while Sasuke got a few last thrusts in, eventually succumbing to his own orgasm. He collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily on her chest as he closed his eyes. Hikari panted as well, trying to catch her breath. She didn't really know what to say or do, so she just laid still underneath him, however, she didn't mind; there was something about the closeness she really liked.

Sasuke waited a few minutes until he had regained his composure to roll off of her and onto his own pillow. Hikari smiled as she rolled with him, laying her head on his chest as he pulled the blanket up over their bodies. His onyx eyes gazed down at her curiously, a hint of playfulness showing in them.

"Was that better than listening to lectures all night?"

Hikari burst out in a laugh, remembering that she was supposed to have been at home and being grounded for putting a girl in the hospital. Instead, she had spent the night doing things she probably shouldn't have; some punishment that was. "Yeah, this was much better."

**Chapter End Notes:** So...this is like the first time I have wrote a lemon in like two years...so I have no idea how good it is. . Don't be too mean, okay? *bats eyelashes* Feedback, please?


	58. Chapter Fifty-Eight

**Chapter Fifty-Eight:**

Hikari immediately blushed upon waking the next morning, remembering her afternoon and evening with Sasuke. She took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself as she looked to her side to see if Sasuke was already awake; her violet gaze met empty sheets. She frowned as she sat up, letting the blankets fall from her bare chest, but Sasuke was nowhere in the room.

Her eyes darted to the floor and they immediately spotted her underwear. She knew she had to be quick about it, because Sasuke might walk through that door at any moment. She attempted to roll out of bed and snatch her clothing like a ninja, but she tumbled to the ground and landed next to the article of clothing, going much slower than she had hoped.

Hikari groaned as she stood and pulled on the panties before running to the door, locking it so that she may find her clothes in peace. She bit her lip as her eyes scanned his floor for her bra, but she couldn't find it. She dropped to her knees and checked under the bed, but it wasn't there either. Hikari frowned when she realised that if she didn't find it, she would have to walk around braless; that was something she didn't want to brave.

"Fine…I will just wear my clothes and ask Uchiha about it later," Hikari mumbled as she grabbed her jeans and shirt, but when she brought them to her nose she frowned in distaste; they needed a wash.

Hikari grinned as she took in the site of his dresser; Sasuke had clothes, clothes that were slightly too big for her. She opened the second drawer and was pleased to find his t-shirts on the first attempt and then grabbed a pitch-black coloured one. When she unfolded it, she noticed it was an _Eluveitie_ band-t that had a raven printed on the front of it. As she pulled her hair out from underneath the neck, she contemplated stealing the shirt from him and keeping it with a grin.

Hikari walked towards the full length mirror she had just realised was in his room; he must have had some care as to what he looked like, which made her smile. Sasuke had always dressed in a certain way and she had taken to notice that his clothes always looked perfect. Hikari laughed as she smoothed out the shirt, making sure it at the very least reached her thighs as she realised that Sasuke did care about his image. She didn't mind that though, she kind of liked it. Sasuke cared about the way he dressed, smelled, and his hair, which was more than most girls could ask for.

With a yawn, she headed for the door, leaving his room and padding down the stairs. "Sasuke?" she called as she walked through his living room. She chewed on her lip with a frown as she entered the kitchen and failed to see him. "Where is he?"

That was when she heard the soft notes coming from the garage. Hikari kicked herself, knowing that Sasuke always played his guitar faithfully; why she hadn't thought of checking there sooner was beyond her. Hikari walked to the door and peeked in, watching as Sasuke stopped playing, took the pen out of his mouth and then scribbled down a few things in a notebook.

_"He writes too,"_ she thought with a small smile, _"and he has that raspy voice of his…gosh, maybe I will have a famous boyfriend one day."_ The thought actually made her uncomfortable because Sasuke had a big enough head, he didn't need fame and glory on top of it.

Hikari pursed her lips, walking through the door as quietly as she could manage. He looked up at her and smiled, something that shocked her through the core because of how genuine it looked. Hikari felt herself smile back as she walked towards him.

"I feel like I am skipping school," she mumbled as she sat down on the couch next to him. "What are you playing?"

"Just something I scribbled down," he said as he looked her up and down. "You look good in my t-shirts."

Hikari blushed and looked away bashfully. "Thanks."

"Do you want to hear?" he asked as he strummed his thumb along the strings.

"Sure," she said with a smile as she turned back to him. "Impress me, Uchiha."

He took the challenge with a smirk and began to play.

…

"The doctors said you could be discharged today, Akemi, but you've only been here for three days," Hoshi said as he pushed her back down by pressing on her shoulder. "You should stay a few more days."

"It's only some cracked ribs," she said with a smile as she looked up into his eyes, "gosh, you're so thoughtful. If it will make you feel better, I will come to your house and relax where you can keep an eye on me."

"Alright," Hoshi said as he shook his head. "I'd rather that than you going home."

"Perfect," Akemi said with a smile as she began to sit up again.

"Hey, Hoshi?"

Both Akemi and Hoshi looked up in order to figure out who it was that had knocked on the door. Sora stood in the entryway and Akemi could see by the way that he held himself that he was more than happy. Something had changed in his life, she could tell just by his smile.

"Hey, Hoshi, do you mind if I have a few words with our house guest?" Sora asked as he put his hand on the back of his neck.

"I don't know if that is such a good idea," Hoshi said as he raised his brow.

"No, it's alright," Akemi said with a nod of her head. "I am trying to get people to forgive me for the horrible things I have done to them, so I should offer the same forgiveness to those who have wronged me."

Sora smiled his cheerful smile as he looked at his brother. "See? We're cool. I just wanted to apologise. Give us some space."

Hoshi looked back at Akemi, but she only gave him a soft smile and a nod. He sighed and then turned away from her bedside, closing the door as he exited. Sora raised his brow and walked towards Akemi, sitting on the foot of her bed and then laid his coat down on the bed.

"Since when has my brother been wrapped around that little finger of yours?"

"Hoshi is just helping me through a tough time," she said as she tilted her head to a side, "that's all."

"Please, Akemi," he said with a smirk as he crossed his arms. "I know you better than anyone else and I know a plot when I see one. What are you up to?"

"Just trying to get back on my feet," she said as she laced her fingers together onto her lap, making Sora think she was really going to extra mile to appear pleasant. "I can assure you that nothing is going on. I am just trying to get back to the person I used to be before all of the drugs and other stuff."

Sora watched her carefully, judging her with his cerulean eyes. After a moment, he shrugged and looked towards the window. "If that's what you say," he said quietly as he gazed at the sky. "By the way, I want to apologise to you…I wasn't lying when I said that. I am sorry for hitting you and playing around with you, it was wrong of me. I wasn't even treating you like you were human…I am disgusted with myself."

"Oh yeah?" she asked as she raised her own eyebrow and giggled; the brown hairs of her eyebrow clashed against the dyed colour of her locks, but Sora was more preoccupied that she had _laughed_ at his apology. "That's odd, I didn't know you could apologise, but I accept it. It was very heartfelt." Sora frowned as he watched her; he knew just by the way she spoke that she was up to something. "Did you finally get through to Koizumi? I did do you a bit of a favour by having her freak out. You should have seen the way Uchiha ripped into her." Akemi smirked, her lips curling upwards into a grin that unnerved even Sora. He was no stranger to her antics and knew how cruel she could be on command, but even she seemed to be going to a new level. "I planted just a tiny seed of doubt and looked what it caused…it was great."

"Leave Hikari alone," Sora said as he narrowed his eyes into a glare. "She does not deserve what you're doing to her."

Akemi paused for a moment, her gaze driving into him as she tried to read him. Sora tensed, not knowing what she was thinking. The last thing he wanted her to do was target Midoriko, but then again, be had a feeling the blond girl was tougher than she looked. There was something about her personality that hinted that she was made out of something stronger.

"I'm not going to do much more to her," Akemi said with a smile. "I already have a way to control her if need be."

"Don't try to break her apart from Sasuke…he makes her happy," Sora said as he leaned forwards and rested his elbows on his knees.

"Oh," Akemi said with a little laugh. "Isn't this quite the change? What gives?"

"I just want to get Hikari back as my friend," Sora said as he shook his head and stood.

"That's kind of funny."

"I just trying to do right by _her_," he muttered more to himself than her. He looked up at her and then crossed his arms. "Look, I am sorry for hitting you and being a dick, but if you do anything to my brother, I will come after you."

"Are you threatening me?" she said as she narrowed her eyes.

Sora smirked as he looked into her jade eyes. "Bros before hoes." As Akemi glared he turned, swinging his jacket over his shoulder and strolling towards the door.

As he left, he passed his brother walking coffee up to Akemi's room. The halls were a disgusting white-colour that matched the rooms of the hospital; it was like they were trying too hard to appear to be clean. Sora frowned as he grabbed Hoshi's shoulder and stopped him from walking in the process. He pressed his lips into a line, thinking carefully about what to say as he looked into his brother's golden eyes. "I don't know why Akemi is suddenly being buddy-buddy with you, but I would watch my step around her."

"I think she's trying to change," Hoshi said as he looked towards Sora.

"And that's what she wants you to think…"

Hoshi shrugged out of his brother's grip and then began to walk towards her room again. Sora let out a sigh, but didn't bother going after Hoshi. He would have to learn his lesson on his own. There wasn't much he could do for him if he wouldn't listen.

As Hoshi approached, he heard Akemi singing to herself as she did often. Her voice was kind of edgy, not the prettiest sounding, but it wasn't so horrible that he wanted to clasp his hands over his ears. But there was something about the song that she was singing that sounded particularly good coming from her lips.

_"Rule number one, is that you got to have fun, but baby when you're done, you got to be the first to run. Rule number two, just don't get attached to someone you could lose…so let me tell you…"_ When he entered the room she abruptly stopped her singing and smiled. "Is that coffee?"

"Yeah," he said with a smile.

"You are the sweetest," she said as he walked forwards and handed it to her. She smelled at it, bringing the fumes into her lungs before she sighed with contentment. "Could you do me a favour?"

"Sure," he said as he set his coffee down on the table.

"Because I have been planning to come home today, I asked a friend to drop some clothes off for me here, could you check if they're at the front desk?" she asked sweetly as she batted her eyelashes.

"Sure thing," he said with a nod and a smile. "I'll go do that now so we can go."

When Akemi was sure he was gone from the room, she smirked to herself. She looked at her chipped polish on her nails before she began to sing again._ "This is how to be a heartbreaker, boys they like a little danger. We'll get him falling for a stranger, a player, singing I lo-lo-love you." _

**Chapter End Notes:** So the song How to be a Heartbreaker by Marina and the Diamonds is on the radio up here in Canada all the time and the first time I heard it, I knew it was Akemi. I could just freaking hear it there. I don't really like the song, but I had to have her sing it. Even just once.  
Gah! I really hate Akemi...especially after what she does in the next chapter. .


End file.
